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RECOLLECTIONS 



OF 



SIR WALTER SCOTT. 



LONDON: 
PRINTED BY JAMES MOYES, CASTLE STREET, 

LFICESTER SQUARE. 



1/ 

RECOLLECTIONS 




OF 



SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART, 



LONDON: 

JAMES FRASER, 215 REGENT STREET. 



M.DCCC.XXXVII. 



PREFACE. 



Prefaces are either explanatory or apolo- 
getical : and, in the present instance, after 
what has been said in the first chapter of 
the following Memoir, it is, perhaps, hardly 
needful to write one. However, a few lines 
may be useful, in order to apprise the reader 
more distinctly of the Author's principal aim 
in this little volume, that he may not be 
blamed for the non-execution of that which 
he never intended. 

In perusing autobiographical reminis- 
cences, of which so many specimens have 
appeared during the last twenty-five years, 
it had often occurred to him how much 



VI PREFACE. 

good might have accrued, if the authors had 
said more of the distinguished individuals 
whom they incidentally knew, and less about 
themselves ; whereas, on the contrary, their 
notions of others are usually given in the 
most vague and careless manner, and the 
staple commodity is supplied by mere ego- 
tism. 

This remark will appear trite, but the in- 
tention with which it is made may not be 
so obvious. It is, surely, of little service to 
record such anecdotes as that Ben Jonson 
drank every night a large portion of old 
sack, and slept long in the morning ; or 
that Dryden sat in a particular arm-chair at 
Button's, which was reserved for him. A 
volume of such disjointed memoranda, even 
about the most eminent person, may prove 
tiresome enough, and entirely fail to convey 
to the reader any vivid and lasting impres- 
sion of the individual to whom they refer. 



PREFACE. Vll 

But every rational observer who had, for 
a series of years, been in the habit of meet- 
ing frequently with Ben Jonson, or John 
Dryden, must surely have formed to himself 
clear ideas of their leading characteristics 
and peculiarities, such as, if adequately ex- 
pressed in narrative shape, from the begin- 
ning of that intercourse to its close, might 
present a striking portrait. Nor is it indis- 
pensable that much talent should exist on 
the part of the writer, if he can but faithfully 
revive those impressions on which his own 
conclusions respecting his hero were founded. 
A tract, presenting the author's best notions 
of Shakespeare's character, principles, and 
habits, written by an intimate acquaintance, 
would be inestimable, even though that ac- 
quaintance had himself never been able to 
compose a single sonnet. Yet its interest 
would depend on a distinct and just concep- 
tion of character, to the developement of 



Vlll PREFACE. 

which every anecdote is merely accessory, 
like details of still life introduced into a 
picture, which help to bring out the portrait. 

On this ground alone (namely, just ap- 
preciation of character), the merits of the 
following sketch, if it has any, must rest. 
In the mere statement of events and dates 
(which, comparatively, are unimportant), 
there may be errors, which the writer, up 
to the present hour, had no opportunity to 
correct, if he had been solicitous to do so. 
But, instead of feeling anxious on that ac- 
count, some anachronisms were, in one 
chapter, purposely introduced for the sake 
of promoting the author's wish (at the out- 
set) to remain anonymous. 

That wish arose, on the present, as on 
many other occasions, from the conviction 
how unequal his production was to what, 
under less unprosperous circumstances, it 
might have been made. Writing wholly 



PREFACE. IX 

without access to books, which might have 
assisted recollection, and not being able, 
for the last three years, to command even 
a single day which he could devote, un- 
interruptedly, to literary employment, he 
feels that these disadvantages ought to be 
mentioned as some apology for defects and 
inaccuracies. The work, however, as it ap- 
peared in " Fraser's Magazine," met with 
a favourable reception ; and he may trust, 
that it affords a tolerably correct, though 
feeble tracing of an illustrious character — 
a rude crayon likeness of a great and good 
man, whose path in life, notwithstanding 
all his fame and apparent prosperity, had 
its allotment of ruggedness and briars, as 
almost invariably happens to an individual 
who moves alone in the world. If the word 
" alone" seems enigmatical, let any surviving 
friend of Sir Walter Scott ask himself the 
question, whether he knows or believes he 



X PREFACE. 

could discover any mortal in whom he might 
place the same degree of reliance for talent, 
firmness, integrity, and benevolence, which 
he could have reposed in the author of 
" Waverley;" or whether he recollects any 
one intimately connected with Sir Walter, 
whose mind and habits were exactly con- 
genial ? But the Preface must close, other- 
wise another volume might, unconsciously, 
be written. 

A few letters to the Author, selected from 
a long series, would have accompanied the 
work, but are regarded as the property of 
Sir Walter's literary executors. If not re- 
quired for insertion in his Life, they may 
form part of another edition. 



CONTENTS. 



SECTION I. 

HIS BOYHOOD AND YOUTH. 

CHAPTER I. PAGE 

Introductory Notices, and Apology 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Birth, Parentage, and early Poetical Impressions. ... 6 

CHAPTER III. 

Leading Traits of Character — Military Ardour — 
Scenery at Smaylholme Tower 11 

CHAPTER IV. 

Critical Remarks — Conversation on Poetry in 1812 18 

CHAPTER V. 
Education at the High School — State of Literature 
from 1780 to 1794 — Beattie's Minstrel — Merits of 
Smollet 26 

CHAPTER VI. 

Mr. H. Mackenzie — Dr. Adam — Story - telling — 
Powers of Memory and Plastic Improvement 35 

CHAPTER VII. 
Music — Edinburgh University — James Hogg, sen. 

— Perseverance — Long Illness — Novel Reading 

— Command of Temper 45 



Xll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. PA6E 

Convalescence — The Bar, and Speculative Society 

Outer House, and Stove School — Study of Modern 
Languages 55 

CHAPTER IX. 

German Literature — Lessing, Gerstenberg, Goethe, 
and Klinger — Translation of Ballads, and of Goetz 
Von Berlichingen 63 

SECTION II. 

HIS EARLY MANHOOD. 
CHAPTER I. 

Goethe's "Egmont"— M. G. Lewis— EarlyBallads 

— Duke of Buccleuch — President Blair — Lord 
Melville 74 

CHAPTER II. 

Yeomanry Service — Early Attachment — Marriage 

— Worldly Prudence — Library in Castle Street 

— Cottage at Lasswade — Hospitality 81 

CHAPTER III. 

Visit to Lasswade — Sir Walter's Aversion to Dis- 
pute — Personal A ppearance — Lord Kinnedder 

— Description of the Cottage 89 

CHAPTER IV. 

Walk to Roslin — Old Castles — Major Weir — 
Thoughts on Romance -writing — Cave at Gorthy 101 

CHAPTER V. 
Dinner Party — Mr. John Leyden — Ritson, the 
Antiquary — Playfulness of Manner — Remarks 
on Insanity — Anecdotes of the late Lord K 

— Proposed Raid of Roslin Ill 



CONTENTS. Xlll 



CHAPTER VI. 



Lay of the LastMinstrel — Cowper's Task — Friendly, 
but Erroneous Criticism — Appointment as Sheriff 

— Party Spirit — Publication of the Lay .• . 120 

CHAPTER VII. 

Equanimity — Announce in 1807 of Epistles from 
Ettrick Forest — Appointment as Clerk of Session 

— Bibliography 127 

SECTION III. 

" LOVE, HONOUR, OBEDIENCE, TROOPS OF FRIENDS." 

CHAPTER I. 

Publication of Marmion — Mode of Composition 

Duchess of Gordon — Edition of Dry den, and 
various other Tasks — John Ballantyne and Co.. . 134 

CHAPTER II. 

Lady of the Lake — Highland Scenery — Early Ris- 
ing — Wallace — Pecuniary Emolument — Callan- 
der and Loch Katrine 141 

CHAPTER III. 

Purchase of Abbotsford — Dialogue when he first 
surveyed the Property — Edinburgh Annual Re- 
gister — Patient Industry — Inferno of Altesidora 
— Dinner Party— Ludicrous Anecdote 147 

CHAPTER IV. 

Don Roderick — Poetical Criticism, and Remarks 
on the Necessity of Labour — Dinner Party — 
Miss Seward's Letters — Sir Brooke Boothby — 
Poetical Aspirants — Lord Hermand — Mr. M. 
Laino- 1 57 



XIV CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. PAGE 

Lord Byron — W or ds worth — Maturin — Novel-read- 
ing — Don Roderick — Ghosts and Apparitions — 
Scene in the Library — Wallace again 166 

CHAPTER VI. 

Numerous Publications — Death of Lord Melville 
and President Blair — Approach of Pecuniary In- 
volvements 175 

CHAPTER VII. 

Remarks on Authorship — Commercial Responsibi- 
lity — Conversations on Bibliography — Rokeby 181 

CHAPTER VIII. 

John Pinkerton and his Tragedy — Disputes on Re- 
ligion — Opinions of Sir Walter Scott thereon — 
Unpublished Apologue of Sterne '..... 188 

CHAPTER IX. 

Bibliography — The Laird of Bonnymoon in his Li- 
brary — Inadequate Success of Rokeby — Lord of 
the Isles — Life and Works of Swift — Bridal of 
Triermain, and Harold the Dauntless 197 

CHAPTER X. 

Publication of Waverley — Benevolence — Vagaries 
of an Unfortunate Litterateur — Sir Walter Scott's 
Aversion to Satire — Tolerance for the Faults of 
Others 204 

CHAPTER XI. 

Effects of Waverley — Guy Mannering — The Anti- 
quary — Tales of My Landlord — Miss Edgeworth 
— Visit to Waterloo in 1815 — Numerous Literary 
Engagements — Recollections of Scott by Dr. Lap- 
penberg 213 



CONTENTS. XV 

CHAPTER XII. PAGE 
Pecuniary Involvements — The Bill System — Profits 
of the Novels Unparalleled Industry — Enthu- 
siasm for Landscape Gardening 222 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Convivial Habits — Moral Superiority — Absence of 
Mind, or Abstraction — Remarks on the Novels . . 228 

SECTION IV. 

" THE SERE AND YELLOW LEAF." 
CHAPTER I. 

Attack of Serious Illness — Fortitude under Acute 
Sufferings — Perseverance in the Use of irksome 
Remedies — Continuance of Literary Labour — 
Convalescence and Perfect Recovery in 1820 235 

CHAPTER II. 

Renewed Interest in German Literature — John 
Kemble — Scott receives his Rank of Baronetcy — 
Attacks unjustly made on his Character — The 
King's Visit to Scotland — Abbotsford 242 

CHAPTER III. 

Sudden Pecuniary Misfortunes in 1825 — Mr. Con- 
stable's Failure — Changed Aspect of the House 
in Castle Street — Demon of Panic — Calumnious - 
Attacks — Sir Walter's perfect Equanimity 250 

CHAPTER IV. 

Death of Lady Scott — Sale of Property — Sir Wal- 
ter's Habits on returning to Edinburgh in May 
1826 — Redoubled Industry — Life of Napoleon 
— Visit to Paris 259 



XVI CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. PAGE 

Renewed Hospitality — Benevolence — Waverley 

Mask and Mantle thrown aside — Conduct of Cre- 
ditors — Visit to London in 1828 267 

CHAPTER VI. 

Author's Last Visit to Abhotsford — Library and 
Museum — Domestic Habits and Regulations — 
The Armoury — Recollections of Sir Walter's Con- 
vivial Spirit — Mr. Charles K. Sharpe — Remarks 
on Book-making — Sir Egerton Brydges — Baron 
de la Motte Fouque 273 

CHAPTER VII. 

Conversation at Edinburgh in December, 1829 — 
Symptoms of approaching Illness, which, in the 
Autumn of 1831, fearfullv increased — Low Spirits 
and Decline — Sir Walter's Last Public Appear- 
ance in Scotland, at a Political Meeting, in 1831 
— Doctor Abercromby 285 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Return to London in October 1831 — Voyage to 
Malta — Residence in Italy — Journey homeward 
in the summer of 1832 — Arrival at Abbotsford — 
His Death and Funeral — Further and concluding 
Recollections of his Benevolence and steadfast 
Friendship 293 



RECOLLECTIONS 



OF 



SIR WALTER SCOTT. 



SECTION I. 

HIS BOYHOOD AND YOUTH. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY NOTICES, AND APOLOGY. 

It is a remarkable fact, that up to the present 
date, scarcely any Memoirs of Sir Walter Scott 
have been published, except those which shortly 
after his lamented death were circulated in some 
of the weekly journals. 

Yet for this there are many reasons. The 
silence, however, is not principally imputable to 
the expectations formed of his literary life, to be 
published by a highly distinguished relative and 



2 INTRODUCTORY NOTICES, AND APOLOGY. 

friend ; for that circumstance alone would not 
prevent, and ought not to prevent, others from 
recording, out of their own recollections and 
experience, whatever tends to illustrate a cha- 
racter, which, the more it is developed, will be 
the more admired and respected. Had every one 
admitted to friendly intercourse with the great 
men of former ages (with Shakspeare, for example, 
or Sir Philip Sidney) committed to writing such 
characteristic traits and anecdotes as they were 
able to remember, how interesting and valuable 
would those memoranda have been to future 
generations ! 

In regard to moral utility, the portrait-painter 
and sculptor have little pretensions, when com- 
pared with those of a faithful biographer, though 
their productions are highly esteemed. But if 
the features of a great and good man have been 
perpetuated by Lawrence or Chantrey, will this 
destroy the interest attached to his likeness, when 
rapidly and faithfully sketched by the hand even 
of a nameless artist, however humble and ob- 
scure ? If a tomb were erected by his relatives 
in Dryburgh Abbey, or if the nation combined 
in raising public monuments to his memory, 
should this prevent the grief-stricken villager 
from wending his way unseen and unknown, to 
strew flowers on the grave of a departed friend 
and benefactor? 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICES, AND APOLOGY. 3 

Whoever attempts the biographical portrait of 
Scott must be, in one sense of the word, his 
eulogist, or he will exhibit no likeness ; but from 
this it does not follow, that information drawn 
from different quarters will be wanting in variety. 
Moreover, such recollections committed to writ- 
ing may be considered a pious tribute to the 
memory of the dead ; while for the public they 
assist in diffusing that inestimable knowledge 
which is derived from the contemplation of illus- 
trious examples. 

But, as above said, there are many reasons why 
so little has yet been published on the subject. 
In weekly and other journals appeared summary 
views of the principal events in Sir Walter's life, 
which, when accurately given, another writer can 
only repeat without alteration. He was the inde- 
fatigable creator of romance ; but his own exist- 
ence passed quietly, almost monotonously, only 
varying in scene from Edinburgh and the Court 
of Session, which occupied seven months in the 
year, to the beloved mountains of Ettrick and 
Yarrow for the rest. There were no glaring 
eccentricities to commemorate, nor marvellous 
stories, like those which Byron, in his wander- 
ings, seemed to delight in having circulated, at 
the expense of his own better fame. There are, 
however, marvels and eccentricities of a very dif- 
ferent class, by recording which, the biography 



4 INTRODUCTORY NOTICES, AND APOLOGY. 

of an eminent author and exemplary man may be 
rendered more instructive, if not more entertain- 
ing, than even that of a historical hero exposed 
to " moving accidents by flood and field :" but 
it can be so treated only by individuals who have 
been honoured with his acquaintance ; and of those 
who really knew and appreciated the character of 
Scott, there are, perhaps, few who can subdue 
their own feelings for his loss in such manner, 
that they may calmly write of him as numbered 
among the dead. Besides, those who by friendly 
intercourse became best qualified for the task, are 
not unlikely to remain the longest mute, from the 
mere conviction how inadequate, in this instance, 
must be the efforts of a biographical delineator, 
when contrasted with the merits of his original. 

To such difficulties and objections no one can 
be more thoroughly awake than the writer of 
these pages ; yet he has, notwithstanding, been 
induced to act on the suggestions of a highly 
valued literary friend, who proposed that he 
should commit to writing whatever recollections 
occurred to him respecting the life of Sir Walter 
Scott, from early life to its close. In a remote 
situation, without a single English book to assist 
him, he has begun this task ; and is induced to 
continue it by reflecting that in the Memoirs 
expected from Mr. Lockhart, it would be im- 
possible to include even one-twentieth part of 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICES, AND APOLOGY. 5 

the letters, conversations, anecdotes, journals, 
and memoranda of all sorts, which have already- 
been accumulated. Nor, probably, will it be 
thought fantastic, or out of place, to compare 
that repertory to the cairn of a great chieftain, 
the existence of which need not prevent any dis- 
tant admirer from raising a solitary obelisk, 
however inadequate and simple, to his memory. 



BIRTH, PARENTAGE, AND 



CHAPTER II. 

BTRTH, PARENTAGE, AND EARLY POETICAL IMPRESSIONS. 

Sir Walter Scott, as is well known, was one 
of the sons of Walter Scott, Esq. Writer to the 
Signet, and was born at Edinburgh on the 15th 
of August, 1771. His father belonged profes- 
sionally to that higher class of Edinburgh attor- 
nies (among whom are often men of old family 
and good fortune), who are incorporated as an 
integral part of the " college of justice," deriving 
their title (as every southern reader may not be 
aware) from their exclusive right to draw up all 
such law-papers as require an affix of the royal 
seal. Of Mr. Scott, sen., little more is remem- 
bered than that he was a steady, prudent, unam- 
bitious, and honourable man of business, not pre- 
eminent for talents, but much respected by his 
clients ; and so far tinged with literature, that he 
had collected a large library of miscellaneous as 
well as professional books, exhibiting, however, 
an overstock of controversial divinity. The 
poet's mother, who survived to an advanced 
age, and whom I remember seeing at her own 
house in 1805, was also a descendant of an old 



EARLY POETICAL IMPRESSIONS. 7 

and aristocratic family, and had through life a 
partiality for books, especially works of fiction 
and poetry, which, according to one of the late 
Sir John Sinclair's theories, her illustrious ^ son 
may have directly inherited. 

Of men afterwards greatly distinguished in the 
world, I know not if it has ever been remarked 
how many individuals were in early youth sub- 
jected to precarious health, this naturally leading 
to seclusion and sedentary amusement, instead 
of public-school discipline and boisterous com- 
petition ; but certainly a long list might be ad- 
duced. For this cause it was found advisable to 
remove Scott, in early boyhood, from his father's 
house in the College-wynd at Edinburgh, to that 
of his grandfather, in a wildly beautiful district 
of Roxburghshire, where, among the lonely hills, 
he was allowed to spend many a day that would 
otherwise have been darkened by the premature 
tasks and restraints of a grammar-school. 

Here, at all events, he was in a situation cal- 
culated to produce poetic impressions such as 
become indelible, and revive with double force 
in after-years. Of such feelings it is almost 
superfluous to remark, that he was from earliest 
youth keenly susceptible ; but as no author ever 
spoke of his own talents more humbly than Scott, 
he used sometimes in conversation to deny, as 
applicable to himself, the maxim, poeta nascitur, 



8 BIRTH, PARENTAGE, AND 

and to maintain, that whoever exerted an equal 
degree of labour or application, would achieve 
the same or equal results. 

Truly this, though otherwise intended, was a 
mode of stating the question which an opponent 
would have found it no easy matter to disprove 
practically. It was much the same as if a cham- 
pion, after having overthrown every one in the 
lists, were to say, " Good friends, I have not 
done all this through any great personal superi- 
ority : only learn to yield the lance and sword, 
and manage a horse with equal precision, and 
you will obtain equal triumphs." 

But, that imagination and poetic sensibility, as 
well as strength, courage, and perseverance, de- 
pend mainly on gifts hereditary or innate, is a 
position which, of course, cannot seriously be dis- 
puted. Genius resembles the natural plant which 
an unknown power alone can supply ; and educa- 
tion is the culture, without which the plant is 
often no better than a useless weed. Horace has 
summed up the argument in five words : " Nee 
studium sine divite vend." Suppose a harp made 
of stone, and strung with whip-cord, to all intents 
and purposes it is still a harp, and may be played 
on after a fashion ; but can any skill on earth 
extract good music out of such an instrument ? 
Men differ from each other in original character 
almost as much as if they were composed of dif- 



EARLY POETICAL IMPRESSIONS. 9 

ferent materials. Will a born coward ever be- 
come truly brave by any efforts of discipline ? 
Is it possible, by mere tuition, to form a musical 
ear, or an eye for painting ? One might suppose 
that, in the case of young pupils, this last ques- 
tion might be answered in the affirmative ; but 
experience teaches an opposite result. The piano 
is thumped and battered, and the canvass smeared, 
in vain. Michael Angelo himself could not ade- 
quately impress the laws of proportion and beau- 
ties of anatomy on one party, nor Mozart bring 
the other a single semibreve nearer to the right 
comprehension either of tune or time. 

On the contrary, the self-disciplined soldier, 
like Blucher in boyhood, will contrive for him- 
self means of gratifying his innate propensities, 
even though he has been sent to the quiet island 
of Riigen, among fishermen and farmers,* to be 
out of harm's way. The young poet will, unob- 
served, and perhaps unconsciously, accumulate 
materials or imagery for future composition, 
though he has only a halfpenny ballad of the 
olden time, and the inspiration derived from a 
wild heath, a ruined castle, and a moaning 
autumnal wind to assist him. The painter, also, 
like Opie in his early years, will do more with 
charcoal and chalk, and without a word of en- 

* Vide Life of Blucher, by Varuhagen. 



10 BIRTH, PARENTAGE, &C 

couragement or instruction, than one not gifted 
with the graphic impulse could effect, if the 
Royal Academy took him under their special 
protection. 

Accordingly, men of genius have, in most 
instances, educated themselves, under circum- 
stances rarely auspicious, and sometimes fear- 
fully adverse, from which they have suddenly 
emerged with power and brilliancy altogether 
unexpected. 



LEADING TRAITS OF CHARACTER. 11 



CHAPTER III. 

LEADING TRAITS OF CHARACTER MILITARY ARDOUR 

SCEXERY AT SMAYLHOLME TOWER. 

Till within the last two years of his life, the 
public only knew Sir Walter Scott as a flourish- 
ing author in the plenitude of prosperity ; yet, 
as Jie once observed to the present writer, 
" every step that he had gained in the world 
was hard won." He might have added, " tamen 
labor ipsa voluptas est;" but this principle was 
at last carried to a degree which no bodily 
powers could support. He had never, it is true, 
been subject to the horrors of dependence ; was 
never placed in a situation inconsistent with his 
birth, lineage, and noble sentiments ; yet, in 
early life, he had some share of the " res an- 
gustce domi ; " nor, perhaps, was the farewell 
stanza addressed to the " harp of the north" 
wholly without its foundation in truth : 

" Much have I owed thy charms, on life's long way, 
Through secret woes the world has never known." 

But, referring to these lines, he observed with 
his usual good-humoured drollery, " as Master 



12 LEADING TRAITS OF CHARACTER. 

Stephen* says, they are melancholy and gentle- 
manlike." 

It was fortunate, therefore, that in his mind 
poetic sensibility and imagination, which have 
too often degenerated into irritability and 
caprice, were never allowed to assume any un- 
due preponderance. It may rather be affirmed, 
that the ruling traits in his disposition were 
unconquerable courage, energy, and persever- 
ance, endowments which he probably inherited 
from remote ancestors ; but which, in his own 
case, were improved by self-education on the 
best principles of the old chivalrous character, 
wherein self-denial and generosity are predomi- 
nant. Such qualities might possibly have ad- 
vanced him to the rank of field-marshal, had 
not the lameness, caused by an accident in 
childhood, prevented his entering the army. 

" In my younger days," he remarked in 1810, 
" I should unquestionably have preferred being 
a soldier to any other profession, and should 
not feel averse to it now, only with one modest 
stipulation, that I am to be a general from the 
outset. Circumstances forbid the notion of rising 
from the ranks ; but, establish me once in full 
power, and good old John of Eldin f nevei 

* Vide " Every Man in his Humour." 
t The person here mentioned was John Clerk of Eldin, 
Esq., author of" Naval Tactics." In the garden adjoining 



MILITARY ARDOUR. 13 

managed his fleet at Lasswade better than I 
should arrange my troops for action." 

Accordingly, this disposition towards a mili- 
tary life had been shewn even in boyhood by 
the eagerness with which he heard, and fidelity 
with which he recollected, every old border 
ballad recited by friends during his abode in 
Roxburghshire, where the impressions of such 
rude, though powerful verses, were deepened by 
his access to the identical scenes which they 
commemorate. The lords and ladies, wizards 
and monks, dwarfs and fairies, lived only in 
song; but the mouldering fortresses existed in 
all the grandeur of gloom and desolation, as 
monuments to prove that the minstrels of old, 
marvellous as were their tales, had not dealt 
wholly in fiction, nor could it be said that their 
personages were without " local habitation and 
name." 

In consequence of uncertain health, and until 
after his sixteenth year, it is probable that Scott, 
like his own Wilfred in " Rokeby," passed his 
leisure time, for the most part, in that sensitive 
mood of poetic reverie which, had it not been 
for innate energies that afterwards triumphed, 

his house near Lasswade, was a pond where he used to 
amuse himself by floating his mimic ships ; hut, as a greater 
singularity, there was in the pond an island, cut and 
decorated into the resemblance of a seventy-four. 



14 MILITARY ARDOUR. 

might have rendered him a mere dreamer, or 
poet of a very different class from that of which 
he afterwards became the chief. But a stout 
and chivalrous spirit lurked in a then weakly 
frame ; and, of the elements from which Wil- 
fred's character is composed, there was just 
enough inherited by Scott to produce those 
acute perceptions, and that high tone of feeling 
connected with the external influences of nature, 
from which are derived the best adornments and 
purest influences of poetry. 

Consequently, the days which he spent in 
wandering through the wild districts of Rox- 
burghshire were never forgotten, but supplied him 
with those vivid and accurate descriptions of 
scenery and seasons which beautify all his works 
of fiction, and are introduced with so much 
judgment as invariably to strengthen his de- 
lineation of character and passions. 

Of the old ballads by which his attention was 
first drawn to poetry, Scott remarked (in a letter 
dated 1798), that, " considered in regard to their 
connexion with true history and real personages, 
these fragments ought never to be despised. 
They are," said he, " like the rapid but power- 
ful drawings of an old master, which a modern 
hand, if sufficiently experienced, may yet transfer 
to the canvass, and finish into complete his- 
torical pictures." 



SCENERY AT SMAYLHOLME TOWER. 15 

How admirably he soon after realised this 
idea, must be admitted by all who have read 
the " Scottish Border Minstrelsy," in which 
work the ballads have been used as a starting 
point, whence to enter on a wide field of historical 
research ; but in his allusion to " Sketches and 
Finished Pictures," Sir Walter possibly had, even 
in 1798, some inward anticipations of the highly 
wrought and accurate compositions which, as 
an original artist, he was destined to found on 
these rough models. 

As already said, his earliest impressions of 
poetry were fixed and perpetuated by associa- 
tions with surrounding objects and scenery. In 
the immediate vicinity of his grandfather's house, 
was the ruined tower of Smaylholme, situated 
among high crags, and commanding extensive 
prospects in every direction. This fortlet is 
naturally defended on three sides by a morass 
and precipitous cliffs, being accessible only by 
a steep and rocky path from the west. The stairs 
are (or were not long ago) in such a state of 
preservation, that one might safely ascend to 
the bartizan at the summit of the castle, which 
is lofty, and forms a landmark at a great distance. 
Near the court are the ruins of a chapel. 

From his eighth or tenth year, this tower and 
the adjoining beacon-cliff, called the watch-fold, 
were his favourite haunts ; and it may not be 



16 SCENERY AT SMAYLHOLME TOWER. 



cestral ground, Smaylholme tower, with the ad- 
joining lands, being the property of his opulent 
relation, Mr. Scott of Harden. 

Hither, after long previous wanderings, he 
would scramble up, carrying with him such 
books as he could obtain, and delighted to pore 
over. The place formed a kind of poetical ob- 
servatory, whence he watched the varied aspects 
of the landscape, now darkened by the sweeping 
storm that howled through the desolate fortress, 
and now cheered by the shifting sunlight of an 
April or October day, while undisturbed his 
imagination might brood on the legendary lore 
which he had collected. 

If Byron through life never ceased to remem- 
ber the scenery of " dark Loch-na-gar," with 
which he became acquainted in childhood, no 
less durable in Scott's mind were the imagery 
and impulses derived from the crags of Smayl- 
holme, the gloomy heath of Brotherston, and the 
" Eildon hills cleft in three;" but it was not 
till fifteen years later that, remembering these 
early dreams, he began to avail himself of such 
inspiration for the production of powerful and 
harmonious verse. Smaylholme Tower deserved 
to be especially recorded ; and, as there hap- 
pened to be no suitable legend of its own at- 
tached to the spot, he made it the scene of his 



SCENERY AT SMAYLHOLME TOWER. 17 

highly spirited ballad, probably the best of his 
earlier poems, entitled the " Eve of St. John," 
first published in his friend Monk Lewis's " Tales 
of Wonder." 



18 CRITICAL REMARKS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

CRITICAL REMARKS CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 

It may be thought that I have dwelt too long 
on these early reveries, and the formation of his 
poetical taste, which, it must be owned, would 
have been of little value, were it not for the 
stores of acquired knowledge, and the sound 
sense, by which he was afterwards distinguished. 
Yet the subject is far from uninteresting, espe- 
cially to those who remember the notable dis- 
pute betwixt Lord Byron and Mr. Bowles on 
the merits of Pope, and the question, What 
ought to be the prevailing characteristics of a 
true poet? 

Perhaps there would be no great trouble in 
compressing the arguments of that controversy 
into narrow bounds. At all events, it can 
scarcely be disputed that, in the crowded walks 
of social life, and amid the affairs of the working 
world, whether in high ranks or low, imagination 
is chilled, and invention fettered. It is only by 
getting out of the mill-horse tract in thought, 
if not in reality, that such powers can have free 
scope. Society may be pleasant, and its duties 



CRITICAL REMARKS. 19 

interesting ; but, for the most part, its pleasures 
and duties are circumscribed and conventional, 
therefore not likely to harmonise with emotions 
and impressions such as, when recorded, will 
prove effective and intelligible over the whole 
world, and in future generations. On the con- 
trary, the mind is enthralled by the necessity of 
attending to merely ephemeral tasks, of which 
the interest often hinges on a question of little 
more dignity and moment than that of warm 
carpeted parlours in winter, or a grotto (vide 
Pope), stuck with shells, for the summer season. 
Such questions arise and pass away ; nor are 
the fantastic systems of particular coteries in 
literature less transient. Who cares now for 
the principles of taste and criticism adopted in 
France, at the court of Louis XIV. ? or, in 
England, during the reign of Charles II. ? The 
habits, or, I might say, duties of society then 
required that every man should wear an enor- 
mous curled periwig, containing about a ton 
weight of horse-hair ; and even the pleasures con- 
sidered suitable for a cavalier comme ilfaut, were 
not less influenced by eccentricity and caprice. 
In those days Sir Charles Sedley had a fairer 
reputation than " one John Milton, the old blind 
schoolmaster, who had lately writ a poem ;" for 
the copyright of which, be it always remembered, 
he received fifteen pounds ; and which, till Ad- 



20 CRITICAL REMARKS. 

dison reviewed it thirty years afterwards, nobody 
would read. 

Might not the debate on the true elements of 
the poetical character, or on poetical habits, re- 
solve itself into this conclusion, that the narra- 
tives, arguments, emotions, and eloquence, which 
are associated with imagery lasting and uni- 
versal, stand the best chance of being widely 
appreciated, and lasting to future ages? The 
winds, clouds, and sunshine, — the hail, rain, and 
thunder of heaven, — the green hills, waving 
woods, rocky cliffs, and wild heaths of the earth, 
with all its leaves, flowers, and blossoms, are 
universal and perpetual ; therefore, the style of 
language they inspire is universally understood. 
A taste for such imagery is not conventional, 
nor dependent on the caprice of fashion. The 
sun, moon, and stars (pardon the truism), were 
the same in Homer's day as they are now. 

Consequently, in spite of those who maintain 
that Racine is the first of poets in France, and 
Pope the facile princeps in England, it certainly 
must be admitted that the man who comes into 
the arena of literary competition, armed with 
verses (let the subject still be human adventures 
and passions), but which he has composed while 
wandering amid mountain solitudes, and listening 
to the eloquence of nature in her cataracts, winds, 
and waving forests, will have a far more powerful 



CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 21 

voice than the gentleman who wrote elegant, 
trim, and precise verses at Eton or Harrow, — 
proved acute in geometry or algebra at Cam- 
bridge, — and who finally settles into his library 
in Grosvenor Street, turning, occasionally, an 
ode of Horace, and estimating Pope's " Pas- 
torals " and " Windsor Forest " as unexception- 
able models. 

But enough, and too much of such remarks, 
from which I shall abstain through the rest of 
this Memoir, unless when scraps of criticism (as 
in the next three pages) may occur in recollected 
conversations with Sir Walter Scott. 

In 1812, a minor author of the tenth grade, 
having been kindly admitted into the sanctum 
of the house in Castle Street, happened to insist 
that Pope was no poet, but a mere mechanic, 
who gleaned thoughts from others, and had the 
art of setting them forth in verse, which, though 
melodious, was tiresome from want of variety. 

As usual, when any vehement and sweeping 
assertion was made, he smiled good-humouredly ; 
for even on subjects of importance, far less about 
criticism, it was impossible to draw him into 
dispute. Then, assuming a serious air, " Rely 
on it," said he, " the time will come when you 
will admit that Pope, whatever be his defects, 
was a worthy deacon of the craft ; and> if he 



22 CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 

gleaned thoughts from others, almost always 
improved on his models. We must not limit 
poetical merit to the class of composition which 
exactly suits one's own particular taste." 

" But," persisted the argumentator, who was 
a descriptive sonnetteer, " I must confess my 
inability to discover in Pope the energies of a 
poet. There are, in his works, no descriptions 
either of character or scenery drawn from real 
life. All is either borrowed or artificial, and he 
is a decided mannerist." 

" Ptather say, not the kind of life and scenery 
which you like best to see drawn," answered 
Mr. Scott; " but it is going too far, merely on this 
account, to deny the far-famed bard of Twicken- 
ham that laurel wreath which, in spite of infirm 
health and the seduction of potted lampreys, he 
laboured so assiduously to win. Would you 
like to hear my compendious definition of 
poetry ?" 

" From a first-rate master the definition of art 
must be inestimable." 

" Umph !" rejoined the minstrel, smiling rather 
sarcastically at this very needless attempt at com- 
pliment. " Well ; here you have it. Poetry is 
the art of expressing or illustrating ideas, argu- 
ments, characters, situations, moral lessons, emo- 
tions, and events, in clear, melodious, and powerful 



CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 23 

language, such as will place the subject in a new 
light, and is fitted to impress the minds of an 
audience, and to be remembered." 

" But the true poet must be an original genius ; 
he must, as the name imparts, have creative 
power." 

" Ha ! ha ! creative is a strong term. But, 
if an author expresses an old idea in a new way, 
will you not allow him, even on that score, a 
share of originality ? Suppose a clever work- 
man makes an elegant elbow-chair out of a 
lumbering old settle, is he not as praiseworthy as 
another who begins on new timber? — Or must 
the said workman be denied all merit unless he 
finds out some absolutely new materials, which 
no one but himself ever thought of using? I 
had a house ready made when I commenced 
operations at Abbotsford ; a queer one it is true, 
but still, to all intents and purposes, it was a 
house ; and, notwithstanding its previous exist- 
ence, I must frankly own that I am very proud 
of the originality already displayed in mere im- 
provements, not to mention the grand architec- 
tural schemes which are hereafter to be realised. 
At present, however, they are scarcely to be 
reckoned in posse ; which, as we lawyers find, 
often proves no better than in nubibus." 

" And would you number such writers as 
Butler and Swift among poets?" 



24 CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 

" I should be sorry if they were not so num- 
bered ; Hudibras, especially, being a great friend 
of mine ; and, as to Swift, though Gulliver is 
beyond comparison his best work, yet some of 
the dean's verses are not to be despised. But, 
if you put the question, whether there are not 
some authors whom I join with you in liking 
much better than either ? I should answer at once 
in the affirmative. Besides, I cordially agree in 
a preference for poetry that has been indited 
' all under the greenwood tree.' The life of 
' Robin Hood ' has great charms for a min- 
strel." 

" Surely the grand principle of the poet 
should be to study nature, instead of limiting 
his attention always to the same tiresome 
models." 

" Variety is pleasant, certainly. On this ac- 
count I have always been disposed to put more 
faith in Scotch fairies than in the ' muses nine ;' 
and, if there must be gods and goddesses, would, 
upon the whole, prefer to deal with Odin and 
Freya, rather than Jupiter and Juno. As to the 
actual study of nature, if you mean the landscape- 
gardening of poetry, I know not how it may be 
with others, but, for my own part, I can get on 
quite as well from recollection while sitting in 
the parliament house, as if wandering through 
wood and wold ; though liable to be roused out 



CONVERSATION ON POETRY IN 1812. 25 

of a descriptive dream now and then, if Balmuto, 
with a fierce grunt, demands, ' Where are your 
cautioners ? ' " * 

The author of Waverley so seldom talked of 
himself, that even scraps like this seem not un- 
worthy of preservation. 

* Lord Balmuto was one of the Scotch judges ; and re- 
markable for an odd manner of enunciation, which was 
very ludicrously mimicked by his brother senator, Lord 
Cullen. 



26 EDUCATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. 



CHAPTER V. 

EDUCATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL — STATE OF LITERATURE 

FROM 1780 TO 1794 BEATTIE'S MINSTREL MERITS OF 

SMOLLET. 

Of Scott's boyhood, many anecdotes have been 
told, which hardly deserve repetition. It is wor- 
thy of remark, however, that almost all of them 
hinge on his juvenile passion for enterprise, 
romantic legends, and the profession of a soldier. 

Sometimes, also, they indicate a waywardness 
and caprice of temper, which, if natural to his 
character (as is very probable), he had in after 
life most thoroughly subdued. 

The roving habits and minstrel dreams of the 
lovely child at Smaylholme Tower were ill-adapted 
to promote his advancement at the class of Mr. 
Luke Fraser, one of the masters of the Edinburgh 
High School, where Scott's name was first entered 
in December 1779. The first task imposed by 
Mr. Fraser, was to get by heart the Latin rudi- 
ments. But in the case of one whose intellect 
and feelings had already been roused, — where 
there existed, even in childhood, a fondness for 
books, of which the sense was understood, it was 



EDUCATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. 27 

no easy matter to force lessons that were to be 
learned merely by rote, without one iota of intel- 
ligence thence derived ; and without even any 
adequate explanation why it was necessary that 
the task should be encountered. 

The rudiments were overcome ; which, of 
course, afforded no other impression but that 
of a repulsive penalty imposed on the victim of 
arbitrary power. On this followed the usual 
divertisements of Corderius's Colloquies, Caesar's 
Commentaries, and Cornelius Nepos ; which, if 
they had been thoroughly understood, would not 
perhaps have afforded much entertainment for 
one whose boyish mind was already stored with 
more interesting materiel, — 

" With tales that cheered the winter's hearth, 
Alternating from wo to mirth ; 
Of lovers' slights, of ladies' charms, 
Of witches' spells, of warriors' arms ; 
Of patriot battles won of old 
By Wallace wight and Bruce the hold ; 
Of later fields of feud and fight, 
When pouring from their mountain height, 
The Scottish clans in headlong sway 
Had swept the scarlet ranks away." 

But the worst is, that these early studies are 
too often conducted in such manner as to have 
no efficacy in the department of learning which 
they are intended to promote ; and, in fact, have 



28 EDUCATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. 

no other useful result but that of trying a child's 
patience, and keeping him out of harm's way. 
A correct knowledge of grammar is certainly 
indispensable ; while to have the power of carry- 
ing on trains of thought in a foreign language, 
whether a dead or a living one, — to write as well 
as to read it with facility, are invaluable acqui- 
sitions ; but, unfortunately, there are too many 
schools in which these do not seem, in reality, to 
be the objects aimed at. On the contrary, the 
existing system tends only to encourage boys 
who, by a kind of mechanical effort, submit them- 
selves to be led on and guided through certain 
tasks, which very possibly leave them as ignorant 
of the true spirit and principles of the language, 
as when they commenced. Paradoxical as it 
may seem, the best writer of themes, and learner 
of exercises, is not always the best scholar, in a 
full sense of that word ; and a youth of mediocre 
abilities may come through the trials honourably, 
though little benefited by such labours in after 
life. 

Unluckily for himself, Scott, at this period, 
proved a very unmanageable pupil. Julius 
Caasar, in his own immortal Commentaries, did 
not prove an agreeable companion on the benches 
of Mr. Luke Fraser's class-room ; nor could the 
heroes of Cornelius Nepos equal in interest the 
" Laird of Thirlestane," or " Christie's Will." 



STATE OF LITERATURE FROM 1780 TO 1794. 29 

In short, his attendance was irregular, and his 
progress below par ; yet he could not be re- 
proached with dulness. On the contrary, he 
was not only alert in youthful exploits with his 
companions, but acute in comprehension for all 
but the mechanical tasks of the High School ; 
where he used to sit impatient and disconsolate 
till the time came when he could either betake 
himself to his sports, or, as frequently happened, 
secure an old folio from his father's library, over 
which (particularly if it related to Scottish 
history) he would pore intently for hours to- 
gether. 

A town more completely dissimilar to the 
modern Athens it would be scarce possible to 
imagine than Edinburgh presented during the 
years from 1780 to 1790. It is of little conse- 
quence to observe that only a few houses of the 
new town were then built, for I do not allude to 
the dissimilarity of inanimate objects. In all 
points except that of hospitality, with a dispo- 
sition to jovial habits and good living, the 
manners, customs, and opinions of the people, 
both of high and low ranks, were immeasurably 
different from those of the present generation. 
The " Scotia vera et barbara " of that period 
affords, indeed, but a bad field for the laudator 
temporis acti ; and had it not been for innate 
propensities, and the impressions made by Smayl- 



30 STATE OF LITERATURE FROM 1780 TO 1794. 

holme Tower and the old ballads, Scott would have 
stood little chance of being led into the pursuit of 
poetry and romance by the prevalent examples 
and literary taste which existed, both in England 
and the north, fifty years ago. 

It is almost needless to remind the reader, that 
Scotland could then boast of many authors highly 
eminent ; for example, take only Hume, Robert- 
son, Mackenzie, Lord Kaimes, and Beattie. Yet 
the fountain of poetry was at the lowest possible 
ebb ; as the strongest proof of which may be 
adduced, the facility with which Hayley, in Eng- 
land, raised himself to high reputation. Let it 
always be remembered, too, that, about this time, 
Burns, who has since been so extravagantly over- 
rated, was allowed to contend with the most 
abject poverty, receiving, for all the songs which 
he contributed to Thomson's Collection, the 
splendid honorarium of five pounds ! With re- 
gard to works of fiction, it is not unworthy of 
remark, that the same era gave rise to a very 
odd class of " fashionable novels ;" namely, pro- 
ductions pompously announced as in three or 
four volumes, but which contained so few pages, 
and were so widely printed, that a volume, at 
least, if not a whole work, might be thoroughly 
perused during the time that was then con- 
sidered indispensable for the operations of the 
perruquier. A vehement contrast, truly, to the 



beattie's minstrel. 31 

closely printed volumes of Richardson, in whose 
days the still extant periwig rendered such com- 
plicated and tiresome proceedings out of the 
question for one sex, and the charm of scientific 
curls was not so inordinately displayed by the 
other ! 

Of the five authors to whom I have alluded, 
Beattie, as a poet, deserves particular notice, 
were it only for the analogy betwixt his habits in 
early life and those of Sir Walter Scott. The 
scenes described in the " Minstrel," the vivid 
feelings which animate its stanzas, were all drawn 
and derived from recollection of rambles in boy- 
hood, through the wild and gloomy, though not 
unpicturesque hills in the neighbourhood of 
Lawrencekirk and Fordun. There he actually 
beheld the landscapes which he afterwards de- 
lineated in verse ; and which, like the Eildon 
hills with Scott, or Loch-na-gar with Lord 
Byron, never faded from his memory. But 
Beattie engaged in long laborious works of a 
different description ; besides, was of a melan- 
choly temperament, increased latterly by do- 
mestic misfortunes, otherwise he might have risen 
to far greater eminence as a poet. 

But were I to instance any Scottish author 
who, in point of talent and energy, might be 
compared to Sir Walter Scott, I should be in- 
clined to name Smollet, as a man of Herculean 



32 MERITS OF SMOLLET. 

and versatile powers ; also possessing, in a high 
degree, the vivid emotions of a poet. In proof 
of which) need only be adduced his Odes to 
Independence, to Leven Water, and on the Civil 
War of 1745. Yet, through nearly the whole of 
his life, Smollet contended with pecuniary em- 
barrassments ; and, like the illustrious subject of 
these memoranda, undertook tasks for which 
human strength was unequal, at a period, more- 
over, when the rewards of literary labour, unlike 
those of more modern days, afforded but poor en- 
couragement for its votaries. Hence, even the ge- 
nius of Smollet and Fielding could scarce protect 
them from want, while it supplied the public with 
those admirable fictions which, notwithstanding 
their objectionable licentiousness, still retain a 
place in every library. 

Of Smollet, Sir Walter Scott entertained a 
lively admiration. 

" Few stories," he has observed, " are more 
distressing than that of his latter years ; especially 
when he represents himself as existing in a state 
of coma vigil ; which proceeded, doubtless, from 
overstraining of the nervous system, from disap- 
pointments, and from being forced to turn his 
exertions into channels which did not accord 
with his natural disposition. How melancholy, 
too, is it to read the account of his foreign tour, 
when, having postponed recreation and relaxa- 



MERITS OF SMOLLET. 33 

tion till it was too late, he travelled on the con- 
tinent amid scenes which, at an earlier period, 
would have afforded him intense interest, but 
where he then obstinately selected such im- 
pressions as were painful and repulsive ! To a 
man in that state, even the remains of ancient 
Rome would present no better imagery than that 
of mere mouldering walls ; and, in the midst of 
all its wonders, he would long for his own fire- 
side, his elbow-chair, and his bed, wherein to 
sleep, forgetting, if possible, for ever, the weari- 
ness of this unprofitable world. 

" Naturally," he continues, " Smollet had al- 
most as much poetic power as Burns, and the 
faculty only required cultivation to raise him to 
a high rank in that department. There is poetry 
even in his prose novels, where every scene and 
every character is so vividly conceived and de- 
picted. In a word, Smollet was a man of rare 
and extraordinary powers, such as do not occur 
above twice in a century, and had he lived in our 
times, would have made a fortune even by the bad 
trade of authorship." 

The reader will, without my suggestion, ob- 
serve the analogy (which I have no wish to dwell 
upon) betv/ixt this melancholy picture and the 
visit of Sir Walter Scott to Italy, in 1831. " The 
soul and body," as he once observed in his usual 
homely style of colloquy, " are here in partner- 

D 



34 MERITS OF SMOLLET. 

ship, and like the partners in a commercial firm, 
if one sinks the other founders also." Notwith- 
standing the analogy, however, betwixt him and 
Smollet in this instance, there was also a wide 
difference, for Scott evinced no acrimony, and 
made no splenetic remarks ; there was no change 
of principles in his mind ; only the derangement 
and decay of bodily powers wholly cut off the 
power of enjoyment. 



MR. H. MACKENZIE. 35 



CHAPTER VI. 

MR. H. MACKENZIE DR. ADAM STORY-TELLING POWERS 

OF MEMORY AND PLASTIC IMPROVEMENT. 

Among the literati always resident in Edinburgh 
who were well acquainted with Scott, perhaps 
the most distinguished was the late venerable 
Mr. H. Mackenzie, who had acquired no slight 
reputation, whilst the author of Waverley was yet 
in his childhood. Betwixt them there continued 
a cordial intimacy, and unlike as they might ap- 
pear to a superficial observer, there yet existed 
many points of similarity in their characters. 

In both, whilst holding high ground in the 
literary world, there was this most perfect ab- 
sence of self-conceit, envy, and censorious bitter- 
ness towards contemporary authors. Mackenzie, 
like Scott, was always ready to discover merit in 
others, to promote the efforts of deserving aspi- 
rants, and, by his hearty praise, add fresh laurels 
to the wreaths of those who had signalised them- 
selves in the literary arena. For vivacity of con- 
versation, too, they might be designated Arcades 
ambo ; and Mackenzie was one of the few indi- 
viduals by whom Scott could be led even into 



36 DR. ADAM. 

the semblance of an argument, conscious as he 
no doubt was, that his friendly opponent, like 
himself, talked only from a wish for mutual in- 
struction and entertainment, not from the pugna- 
cious obstinacy of a narrow mind bent on assert- 
ing its own dogmas, or proving its own fancied 
superiority. In their amusements, too, their love 
of the country and field-sports, there was a con- 
geniality. Up to his seventy-ninth year, after 
which he suffered by lameness, Mr. H. Macken- 
zie used to take the field with his couple of point- 
ers and fowling-piece, as buoyant and vivacious 
in spirit as if he had been only nineteen. The 
author of the " Man of Feeling" was in form thin 
and attenuated, with features not unlike those of 
Voltaire, if the sarcastic and somewhat malevo- 
lent expression be excepted. He was an acute 
man of business, an admirable critic, an enter- 
taining companion, a steady and kind friend. 

But to return. In regarc^ to Scott's progress 
at the High School, some change for the better 
took place, when, in his twelfth or fourteenth 
year, he was transferred to the class of the rector, 
Dr. Alexander Adam, who, in his peculiar de- 
partment, was unquestionably a man of genius, 
and evinced the most persevering industry. 
Deeply read in the Classics, the doctor took a 
real and enthusiastic interest in his own studies ; 
in fact, might be represented as conferring, in a 



DR. ADAM. 37 

limited degree, the same services respecting 
Roman literature, which Sir Walter Scott after- 
wards effected with regard to the remnants of old 
minstrelsy. He traced out ideas as well as words 
to their origin, and delighted by means of parallel 
passages to illustrate and revive the great charac- 
ters of antiquity, and explain ancient manners 
and customs, so that their tendency might be 
thoroughly felt and understood. Through the 
day he was of course occupied with his duties as 
head master, and his publications (especially, for 
example, the " Ancient Geography,") requiring 
much time, as well as labour, he was in the habit 
of rising all the year round at four in the morn- 
ing. Consequently, in winter, he betook himself 
to the kitchen, where, by the aid of a happinpeat 
left in the grate over night, he kindled a good 
fire, without troubling any of his small establish- 
ment to assist him. Hither he brought his table 
and books, and passed many an hour in writing 
or research, long before others thought of com- 
mencing the business of the day. Among Dr. 
Adam's peculiarities was his activity as a pedes- 
trian, by which his health and spirits were pro- 
moted and preserved to a very advanced age. 
In the welfare of his pupils he took a lively in- 
terest, and was generally attended in his holiday 
rambles by one or two of those boys who had 



38 STORY-TELLING. 

acquired his good opinion, with whom he would 
converse freely on what they had read, and enable 
them to apply their learning practically to the 
business of life. 

I do not remember having heard Scott speak 
of Dr. Adam, but doubt not one of his biogra- 
phers (in a weekly journal) is in the right, who 
observes, that such an example may have had 
some influence on the poet's future habits of life 
as to early rising and industry. 

But, as Sir Walter has himself recorded, not 
even Dr. Adam's example and instructions could 
make him an accurate scholar, nor a writer of 
trim and precise exercises. Even his metrical 
themes were deficient in those points which are 
essential in the eyes of a pedagogue, and he left 
the High School without the most distant presage 
of his inherent talents for literary distinction. 
Meanwhile, his mind, in its own favourite depart- 
ments, was never idle ; and he has himself de- 
scribed the kind of amusement which then 
afforded him most pleasure. 

" I must refer," says he, " to a very early period 
of my life, were I to point out my first achievements 
as a story-teller ; but I believe some of my old 
school-fellows can still bear witness that I had a 
distinguished character for that talent, at a time 
when the applause of my companions was my re- 



STORY-TELLING. 39 

compense for the disgraces and punishments which 
the future romance writer incurred for being idle 
himself, and keeping others idle during hours 
that should have been employed on our tasks. 
The chief enjoyment of my holidays was to 
escape with a chosen friend, who had the same 
taste with myself, and alternately to recite to each 
other such wild adventures as we were able to 
devise. We told each, in turn, interminable tales 
of knight-errantry, and battles, and enchantments, 
which were continued from one day to another, 
as opportunity offered, without our ever thinking 
of bringing them to a conclusion. As we ob- 
served a strict secrecy on the subject of this 
intercourse, it acquired all the character of a con- 
cealed pleasure; and we used to select for the 
scenes of our indulgence long walks through the 
solitary and romantic environs of Arthur's Seat, 
Salisbury Crags, Braid Hills, and similar places 
in the vicinity of Edinburgh ; and the recollection 
of these holidays still forms an oasis in the pil- 
grimage that I have to look back upon." 

Among other favourite scenes of these juvenile 
rambles may be reckoned the neighbourhood of 
Kelso, where Scott passed some time, and where, 
also, he attended school. There he became ac- 
quainted with the three Messrs. Ballantyne, who 
used occasionally to be his companions in these 



40 POWERS OF MEMORY, AND 

story-telling excursions, and with whom he kept 
up a friendly and confidential intercourse during 
the whole of his after life. 

On such occasions, though he has described 
the task of romantic invention as being mutual, 
yet it is almost superfluous to observe, that little 
more was required of his associates than to play 
the part of good listeners. But the power thus 
evinced by Scott, in fixing the attention of his 
auditors, was immeasurably different from that 
of a whimsical improvvisatore who utters a vague 
rhapsody, perhaps very magnificent in sound, but 
containing, in reality, no sentiments or imagery 
which can either dwell in recollection, or deserve 
to be recollected. One great secret of his art 
depended on a faculty, which, even from child- 
hood, he possessed in a most extraordinary de- 
gree, namely, that of memory, which, to the same 
extent, is very rarely united to original genius. 
All who knew the author of " Waverley" will be 
ready to bear me out in asserting, that this was 
one of his most remarkable characteristics ; for 
whatever narratives, either in prose or verse, he 
had once read or heard, were never entirely for- 
gotten. Of this, instances frequently occurred 
at convivial parties, if a bon-vivant wished to 
favour the company with a song, whilst his trea- 
cherous memory declined supplying him with the 



PLASTIC IMPROVEMENT. 41 

words. At such times Scott used to help out 
the performer in a style most ludicrously adapted 
to the occasion, and was usually prepared, from 
beginning to end, with every stanza. Strange 
as it may seem, he, in this way, stored up dross 
and rubbish, as well as better materials, and yet 
without the slightest confusion, so that a friend 
once compared his mind to a kaleidoscope, which 
retains and displays its symmetrical powers, how- 
ever coarse may be the substances placed within 
it. A propos, I remember, when, at a jovial 
party, about midnight, regret being expressed, 
that one of the company had gone without being 
called on for a particular song, which he usually 
gave in such manner as to excite much laughter, 
Mr. Scott immediately observed, " If the words 
without the music will be acceptable, I am quite 
ready." Then, with an accurate adherence to 
the forecastle style of recitativo, he began : 

" I courted Molly of Spithead, 
And asked her to be marri-ed ; 
At first she vas most cruel kind, 
But she proved valse, as you shall find ; 
With a chip chow, fal lal de ray ! " 

And so forth, without missing a line of the non- 
sense. One of the poems he most willingly 
recited, was the " Red King," by Mr. William 
Stewart Rose : 



42 POWERS OF MEMORY, AND 

" The Red King lies in Malwood keep ; 
To drive the deer o'er moor and steep, 

He's bound him with the morn ; 
His horse is fleet, his hounds are good ; 
The like in covert or high wood, 

Were never cheered with horn," &c. 

Among other instances, it happened when a 
copy of a then anonymous poem, the " Inch 
Cape Rock," was wanted for insertion in the 
" Edinburgh Annual Register," he produced the 
whole from recollection, strengthening the verses, 
however, and giving more clearness to the story ; 
so that, but for his denial, it might have been 
looked on as his own composition. 

In fact, the mainspring of interest attached to 
his repetitions as a story-teller, depended on im- 
provements and alterations, which he freely 
made on his original. According to his own 
ludicrous metaphor of the workman who created 
a handsome elbow-chair out of a " lumbering 
old settle" it may be said that even the membra 
disjecta^ the fragment, or even a single spar of 
the old furniture, sufficed for him. He had 
almost magical power to produce a lasting super- 
structure, even on the most trifling foundation. 
In his hands, all materials derived from history, 
romance, or legend, with which memory supplied 
him, became in the utmost degree plastic; so 
that, while the leading incidents remained, the 



PLASTIC IMPROVEMENT. 43 

general character of the narrative, and impres- 
sions it conveyed, were entirely new, and al- 
together his own. Goethe's words on the 
poetical character, as exemplified in Tasso, are 
here also applicable : 

" What History or Experience could afford, 
He grasped in fragments ; yet, from them Drought forth 
A grand symmetric whole ; hy his own fervour 
Enlivening that which else were cold and dead." 

Hence the almost miraculous facility with 
which he seemed to compose his prose fictions. 
A scene was laid, a period of history, and some 
leading characters were chosen. The scene, if 
he had once beheld it, rose up around him with 
all the force of reality. He knew " every dell 
and bosky bourne of the wild wood." The 
principal events of history, the costume and 
habits of the era once learned, were on his mind 
indelible. He needed not any recurrence to 
books for assistance ; but, sometimes, he did 
turn to maps, in order that he might be accurate 
in distances. As to characters, these, for the 
most part, like every good painter, he modelled 
from real life ; of which it is superfluous to ob- 
serve, he had been an attentive and scrutinising 
spectator. Respecting the plot, he might have 
revolved in his mind hundreds of intricate 
fables derived from novel reading, and on some 



44 POWERS OF MEMORY, &C. 

insipid production of the Minerva press, forgotten 
by all but himself, have constructed a fiction amply 
suited for his purpose. But this was never done. 
With regard to the plot, indeed, he was com- 
paratively careless ; the invention, the actual 
creation of it, rose mysteriously out of the de- 
lineation of situation and character. 



music. 45 



CHAPTER VII. 

MUSIC EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY JAMES HOGG, SEN 

PERSEVERANCE LONG ILLNESS NOVEL READING COM- 
MAND OF TEMPER. 

In one of the brief Memoirs already published, 
it has been observed that, during Scott's early 
youth, an attempt was made to give him in- 
structions in music, which failed. It is added, 
that he was " totally deficient in musical ear," 
and incapable of producing two consecutive notes 
that were correct, either as to tune or time. 
This, however, is erroneous. For intricate com- 
positions, which can scarcely be admired without 
scientific study, he probably had no taste : yet 
he delighted in music ; and there were many 
Scotch airs for which he had an enthusiastic 
predilection ; and which, without any pretensions 
to musical voice, he could strike up in convivial 
parties with perfect correctness ; though, for the 
better entertainment of his auditors, the perform- 
ance was generally grotesque, and the ditty 
comic. Among his especial favourites were, 
" Auld lang syne," " Bannocks o' bear meal, ban- 
nocks o' barley," and " Kenmure's on and avva." 



46 EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. 

About the year 1784, he matriculated at the 
College of Edinburgh, entering the classes of Pro- 
fessors Hill and Mr. Dalzell for Latin and Greek ; 
but his attendance afterwards was not exemplary, 
nor did he profit more by his academic studies 
than by those formerly at the High School. This, 
however, is not much to be wondered at. What 
the system now may be at the Edinburgh Uni- 
versity, I know not ; but, though the above- 
named professors were themselves eminent scho- 
lars, there was little in their public mode of 
discipline that was calculated to attract a way- 
ward pupil ; nor, dissimilar as they were in 
manners, did either succeed in maintaining much 
of professorial dignity in his class-room. 

As might have been expected, the young poet 
was by no means complimented by them on his 
appearances when examined. But, in proof of 
what I have elsewhere said with regard to dull 
boys rising to distinction at school by mere 
mechanical efforts and docility, it may be noticed, 
that one of his class-fellows, the late worthy Mr. 
James Hogg (afterwards a private teacher at 
Edinburgh), always went through the ordeal 
with great precision and eclat. 

By many living practitioners at the Scotch 
bar, James Hogg is no doubt kindly remem- 
bered ; and to those who did not know him, it 
would have been difficult for any one, except 



JAMES HOGG, SEN. 47 

the author of " Waverley" himself, to convey an 
adequate idea of a being so ludicrously formal, so 
learned, and yet in intellect so borne. The employ- 
ment adopted by Mr. Hogg was that of " grinder," 
or private assistant to students who (perhaps invi- 
tissimd Minerva,} are preparing to undergo their 
public trials for the learned professions ; and who, 
not being much accustomed to carry on discourse 
in Latin, would find the necessity of so doing a 
stumbling-block quite sufficient to overcome their 
courage; not to mention the dry and repulsive 
questions of law or medical science, which they 
were expected to have at their finger-ends. To 
those whose hard fate imposed on them the 
necessity of grinding for an examination on 
Roman law, Mr. Hogg proved an invaluable 
acquisition. Had any one wished to study more 
profoundly, he would, with the most inflexible 
perseverance, have expounded every chapter and 
clause of the whole corpus juris, even had the 
volume been five times its existing bulk. Ac- 
cording to modern practice, however, it was not 
unusual to obtain a private hint from the ex- 
aminators on what chapter their questions were 
to be founded. These were conned over night 
and day ; and, finally, if the student was not 
able to compose in Latin his own inaugural 
dissertation, he might choose a subject at hap- 
hazard; and Mr. Hogg would, at forty-eight 



48 PERSEVERANCE. 

hours' notice, supply him with a discourse which 
always answered the purpose quite as well as if 
the style had been Ciceronian. By such means, 
the worthy man made an income of, perhaps, 
200/. per annum ; to him an ample fortune ; for 
assuredly more than two-thirds of that revenue 
were saved. 

Here let me be allowed a very short digres- 
sion, to notice a singular example of Scotch 
perseverance, which is not quite irrelevant, as 
I have repeatedly heard it mentioned by Sir 
Walter Scott. About forty years ago, it hap- 
pened that an individual (since eminent at the 
bar), made the usual application to be examined 
on civil law. He was of humble birth, poor, and 
friendless ; had neither grinder to prepare him, 
nor influence to obtain from the examinators a 
previous hint on what sections they were disposed 
to put their questions. Moreover, the faculty 
being somewhat aristocratic, were not altogether 
disposed to admit such a member, and on trial 
he was declared incompetent. This was a heavy 
blow for the poor and lonely aspirant ; but for- 
titude rendered it almost harmless. He knew 
that a year must elapse before he could renew 
his application ; and through that whole time, it 
is said, he subsisted on bread and water, or tea- 
Returning home directly to his lodgings, he 
began, by way of sedative, to translate the entire 



PERSEVERANCE. 49 

Corpus Juris, and (mirabile dictu) accomplished 
the task ; so that, long before the year was ended, 
his complete translation was engrossed in a beau- 
tiful and minute hand. This was for amusement 
merely, but he carefully studied the comment- 
ators. " Next time," said he, " my inquisitors 
shall have enough of it ! " Accordingly, on his 
second appearance, he was not contented with 
merely answering the questions put to him, but 
ran on with a regular dissertation upon each, 
till the learned examinators, who, comparatively 
speaking, knew nothing of the matter, were too 
glad to pronounce him qualified, and get rid of a 
candidate by whom they were so direfully cast 
into the shade. 

But to return. That Mr. Hogg was a sound 
scholar, there could be no doubt ; and for in- 
vincible patience and good-humour, he was al- 
most unequalled. At all hours of the night and 
day, from seven o'clock of a dark winter morn- 
ing till midnight, he might be met on his way 
from one pupil's house to another, with the 
identical long great-coat close buttoned to his 
tall gaunt figure, and the identical cotton um- 
brella, both of which had lasted him at least 
twenty years, and with the same expression of 
calm contentment and placidity on his features. 
I believe this personage had some share in con- 

E 



50 PERSEVERANCE. 

tributing as a model to the portrait of " Dominie 
Sampson ;" which may afford some excuse for 
devoting so many lines to his memory. In study 
he was, like the Dominie, indefatigable ; but the 
works of Heineccius were quite as entertaining 
and acceptable to him as those of Cicero ; and 
he would most willingly have laid down Cer- 
vantes or Shakespeare (of whom, in all pro- 
bability, he had read neither), in order to take 
up " Durie's Decisions," or " Erskine's In- 
stitutes." 

An individual like this was exactly calculated 
to shine at examinations in the Edinburgh Uni- 
versity ; and those who could not, or would not 
succeed so well in the same arena, revenged 
themselves for the disappointment by turning 
into ridicule the uncouth and formal student who 
had triumphed over them. On one occasion, 
Scott, to the great amusement of his class-fellows, 
affixed to Mr. Hogg's coat-collar a slip of paper, 
inscribed, " The learned pig casts accounts;" 
with which, unconsciously, he paraded through 
the college-court. James Hogg soon found out 
the individual to whom he was indebted for this 
distinction ; a quarrel and fight were the con- 
sequence ; in which, as might be expected, Scott 
proved no flincher. I know not how it termi- 
nated ; but probably the battle was a drawn one, 



LONG ILLNESS. 51 

as a friendly feeling always existed between 
them, malgre the difference of rank and cha- 
racter. 

Owing to the combined obstacles of bad 
health, and, probably, his disgust at the Edin- 
burgh University, he seems to have gone through 
no regular course of education there, except that 
to which, in later years, he was necessitated, in 
order to become qualified for passing his trials 
at the Scottish bar. In fact, after his entrance 
at college, till his seventeenth year, he was, 
through more than half the time, subjected to 
that hazardous illness, the effects of which he 
has himself described. Naturally, Scott was 
not only buoyant in spirits, but irritable in 
temper ; and, by some over exertion, he had the 
misfortune to rupture a blood-vessel, an injury 
which could only be repaired by the most per- 
fect state of quiescence, and the most rigorous 
abstinence from food more than was absolutely 
necessary to support existence. In his case it 
was to be expected that the utmost precaution 
must be observed in order to secure obedience 
to such irksome regimen ; and it is probable 
that, to his inordinate love of reading, he owed 
the preservation of his life. To induce tran- 
quillity and submission to medical treatment, 
the best and only method was to allow him the 
free use of books, and to make his own choice 



52 NOVEL-READING. 

of what he wished to read. The library of Mr. 
Scott, sen. (who, at this time, resided in George 
Square), was far from inconsiderable ; and its 
contents proved of great service to him in after 
years, as there was not merely an ample stock of 
law books for professional reference, but of his- 
tory, antiquarianism, and even theology. These, 
however, could not afford sufficient entertain- 
ment in his present state ; and, having subscribed 
to a long-established and extensive circulating 
library in Edinburgh, he actually, in the course 
of his slow convalescence, read through almost 
the whole of the romances, old plays, and poetry, 
of the collection, " unconsciously" as he ob- 
serves, " amassing materials for the task in which 
he was afterwards to be so much employed." 

" At the same time," he adds, " I did not in 
all respects abuse the license permitted me. 
Familiar acquaintance with the specious miracles 
of fiction brought with it some degree of satiety ; 
and I began to seek in history, memoirs, voyages, 
travels, and the like, events nearly as wonder- 
ful as those which were the work of imagination, 
with the additional advantage, that they were at 
least in a great measure true. The lapse of 
nearly two years, during which I was left to 
the service of my own free will, was followed by 
a temporary residence in the country, ichere I 
was again very lonely, but for the amusement I 



COMMAND OF TEMPER. 53 

derived from a good, though old-fashioned library. 
The vague and wild use I made of this ad- 
vantage, I cannot describe better than by re- 
ferring my readers to the desultory studies of 
"Waverley" in a similar situation, the passages 
concerning whose reading were imitated from 
the recollection of my own/' 

The ability to derive benefit even from 
misfortune, and to extract good from evil, is 
surely one of the most distinguishing charac- 
teristics, both of an amiable disposition, and 
powerful mind. To this illness it is obvious 
that Scott owed his subsequent predilection for 
romance-writing ; but, to the same cause may, 
perhaps, be ascribed, in great measure, that un- 
exampled command of temper which it was 
almost impossible to disturb, and the inimitable 
patience which he afterwards displayed. In 
proof of his extraordinary patience, need only 
be adduced the many arduous tasks to which, 
independently of his novels, plays, poems, and 
ballads, he submitted himself with a calm, equable 
enthusiasm (for enthusiasm may be calm), such 
as has not elsewhere been equalled since those 
early eras of the Christian faith, when a single 
individual, with his own hand, wrote more than, 
in the same space of time, it would have been 
supposed possible for ten caligraphers to ac- 
complish. But when it is also recollected in 



54 COMMAND OF TEMPER. 

what degree, from the year 1806 to 1830, he 
was subjected to the daily worry of business, 
to hourly interruptions of his literary labour, 
and to harrassing applications from all quarters 
for assistance, advice, and patronage ; those who 
remember with what mildness and unconquerable 
good-humour all this was borne, will not wonder 
at my assertion, that his patience was unex- 
ampled and inimitable. Perhaps on this virtue, 
also, depended the power which he possessed of 
retaining his own trains of thought unbroken by 
outward disturbance ; of escaping at will from 
present scenes into an ideal world ; also, that 
admirable harmony preserved in his own mind, 
where no one principle or faculty was suffered 
to obtain an undue preponderance, to the injury 
of the rest. 



CONVALESCENCE THE BAR. 55 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CONVALESCENCE THE BAR, AND SPECULATIVE SOCIETY 

OUTER HOUSE, AND STOVE SCHOOL STUDY OF MODERN 

LANGUAGES. 

After his sixteenth year, his constitution began 
rapidly to triumph over the indisposition by 
which he had hitherto been, at all times, more 
or less molested. He became keenly addicted 
to field sports, which contributed to his perfect 
recovery ; and, as his fondness for books and 
study seemed well suited to the habits expected 
from a special pleader, it was decided that he 
should qualify himself for the legal profession. 
For this he had some peculiar advantages ; as, in 
regard to Scotch lav/, he needed only to study 
zealously under his father's care, in whose office 
all the forms of process, and routine of practice, 
were to be learned, and whose library, as al- 
ready mentioned, afforded an ample stock of 
books. 

Accordingly, he went through the usual fo- 
rensic course of education ; and, in his twenty- 
first year, assumed his gown, and paraded the 
outer house. But, as he had before unconsci- 



56 THE BAR, AND SPECULATIVE SOCIETY. 

ously amassed materials for the task in which 
he was afterwards to be engaged, so it is very- 
possible, that with the intention of proceeding 
exactly as a man of business ought to do, he all 
the while, and unconsciously r , despised his em- 
ployments at the bar. This may seem paradox- 
ical. However, we find no instance on record, 
except one criminal case, in which his pov T ers as 
an advocate were called into action and concen- 
trated. Had he seriously determined on rising 
to high honours in his profession, there can be 
no doubt he would have attained his object. 
But faculties immeasurably inferior to those of 
the author of " Waverley " could, when drawn 
into a focus, effect the purpose at which, appa- 
rently, Scott had aimed in vain. The truth was, 
however, that he never roused his energies, or 
looked steadily at the mark. 

Amongst other preliminary steps towards be- 
coming an advocate, he entered the Speculative 
Society, a literary and debating club ; since noted 
for having had among its members many of the 
most distinguished men both of England and 
Scotland. This club had a room and library of 
their own in the college ; and met once a week 
during the winter session of the courts ; when, 
in the first place, an original essay was read by 
some one of the members, whose production was 
freely commented on and criticised. Thereafter 



OUTER HOUSE. 57 

a question was proposed from the chair, and 
discussed with far more adherence to dignified 
formality than that of the British senate. 

As " shallow streams make the most noise," 
it often happened that the most distinguished 
orators in the Speculative Society had little else 
but their fluent verbosity to recommend them ; 
and, by all accounts, Scott was more inclined to 
turn the proceedings of the " honourable house " 
into ridicule, than to make any brilliant figure 
at its debates. Moreover, so little practised was 
he then in composition, that the production of a 
literary essay, when it fell to his turn, was not 
achieved without considerable labour, and seemed 
to be undertaken invito, Minerva, 

To one who is not imbued with a genuine taste 
for the enlivening contests of the bar, as well as 
prepared with legal knowledge, and resolutely 
bent on living by the profits of his profession, 
the Edinburgh outer house is the worst school 
that can be imagined. If employment does not 
increase, habits of idleness and dissipation are 
almost inevitable. Through the whole of the 
winter months the young aspirant must rouse 
before day-light, and, malgre pitiless east winds 
and driving sleet, proceed to the great hall, 
where it is considered indispensable that he should 
make his appearance by nine o'clock. From 
nine till ten, few of the elder and more experi- 



58 OUTER HOUSE. 

enced practitioners, unless when particularly re- 
quested, condescend to turn out ; and, as to the 
youths, who "stand and wait" at nine, unless 
favoured by influence and connexion, they may, 
for the first year, consider themselves honoured, 
if requested by the " writers " to address a few 
words to the judges in absence of senior counsel, 
for which service no fee is given or expected. 
However, they must be careful even as to the 
mode in which this operation is gone through, 
as, according to the tact, precision, and readi- 
ness therein displayed, will be proportioned 
the future patronage of " writers to the 
signet," who are, in fact, the wealthiest and 
most influential body in the Scotch metro- 
polis. 

But, from this early hour, whether employed 
or idle, it is expected they shall every day walk 
the boards till two in the afternoon ; conse- 
quently, how to pass the weary interval with- 
out perishing of ennui is a frequent question. 
However, the outer house is a place of rendez- 
vous for all the idlers, as well as elite of the 
land ; and there are always, among the learned 
faculty of advocates, a number of young men, 
either possessed of, or heirs to, independent for- 
tunes, who have adopted the profession without 
the remotest view to emolument. These gentle- 
men being systematically idle themselves, are 



STOVE SCHOOL. 59 

always ready to encourage idleness in others; 
and they form what is technically called the stove 
school, from the circumstance of their congre- 
gating in winter round the fire places, where 
they will stand for hours together, robed in 
gowns and wigs, but carrying on conversation, 
the tone of which harmonises but awkwardly 
with the grave character which might be ex- 
pected from such habiliments. Among them the 
Parliament House is voted an insufferable bore ; 
but attendance is persevered in from habit, and 
because one meets his friends and makes ar- 
rangements of pleasure for the rest of the day 
and the succeeding night. 

After five hours already spent in mere idle- 
ness, not unaccompanied with fatigue, who on 
earth would ever think of going home to study, 
unless it were to dream over the pages of a 
novel, or, on pretext of study, to fall asleep in an 
elbow chair ? No ! mind and body are already 
worn out in doing nothing ; and the best way to 
get through the rest of the time is by a walk, or 
scamper on horseback into the country ; then a 
dinner and jollification, lasting perhaps till four 
in the morning. After which, the usual, however 
disagreeable, appearance on parade at nine, — 
the stove deliberations, — the scamper and dinner 
again. 



60 STOVE SCHOOL. 

If a young man attends the house without 
being actively employed in his profession, of 
course he runs a risk of being elected a pupil 
of the " stove school," and is henceforth alien- 
ated from every pursuit requiring any degree of 
labour or self-denial. 

As might be anticipated, however, Sir Walter 
Scott shaped a course for himself, which differed 
from both. He shewed no great taste for the 
altercations of the bar ; and the resources of his 
father, as to fortune, being over-rated, and cal- 
culated on the chances of a much longer life 
than fell to his lot, there was no immediate spur 
to great exertions for the sake of profit. How- 
ever, he persevered in regular attendance ; and, 
like others who were not overloaded with briefs, 
felt the necessity of having some better means 
than the Parliament House afforded to fill up his 
time. But his active disposition and ardent 
spirits protected him from the temptations of the 
" stove school ;" and he had not been two years 
entered at the bar ere he began to exhibit un- 
equivocal indications that in the words (used on 
another occasion) of his lamented friend, Lord 
Kinnedder, he was " no ordinary man." 

The two main principles on which activity now 
hinged, were the love of military enterprise, 
joined with great zeal for the tory politics of 



STUDY OF MODERN LANGUAC4E3. 61 

the day, and increasing fondness for literary 
research. By this last he contrived, most as- 
siduously, to fill up the hours which would other- 
wise have been vacant, or devoted to the pursuits 
of the " stove school." Having derived so much 
enjoyment from reading, it is probable that he 
commenced much earlier than any one suspected 
to form ideas, however vague and shadowy, of 
contributing to the public stock of knowledge 
and entertainment. In order to extend his com- 
mand over the world of books, he now zealously 
devoted, his attention to the study of modern lan- 
guages, — the best resource possible for a liter- 
ary man who has leisure ; time and patience 
being, for this pursuit, the grand desiderata. In 
Italian, French, and German, he made such 
progress as to have the power of translating 
even difficult authors with facility and precision ; 
an employment in which, for several years, he 
greatly delighted ; but to the study of grammar 
abstractedly, and scholastic exercises, he still 
entertained an aversion ; consequently, never ac- 
quired a critical knowledge, or the power to 
speak and write correctly in any foreign tongue. 
As a further proof of his patience, it may be 
noticed, that there was scarcely one of the old 
French romances (no easy reading for a beginner 
in that language) which he did not carefully 



62 STUDY OF MODERN LANGUAGES. 

peruse. To the Advocates' Library he had 
frequent recourse. However, his private collec- 
tion rapidly augmented on his hands ; as from 
earliest youth he shewed that passion for biblio- 
graphy, which, in after life, was one of his distin- 
guishing characteristics. 



GERMAN LITERATURE. 63 



CHAPTER IX. 

GERMAN LITERATURE LESSING, GERSTENBERG, GOETHE, 

AND KLINGER TRANSLATION OF BALLADS, AND OF GOETZ 

VON BERLICHINGEN. 

But, as he has himself commemorated, it was the 
modern German literature which most powerfully 
attracted his attention, without the study of which, 
perhaps, he never would have become an author 
of eminence (though this was but a spark to 
kindle the train). At all events, the analogy and 
coincidence betwixt the revolution, which took 
place in Germany and in England with regard to 
works of imagination, are very remarkable. 
What Goethe achieved in Germany, Sir Walter 
Scott effected in Britain ; and it must not be for- 
gotten, that the first work, of any length, to 
which the latter affixed his name, was a transla- 
tion of the " Goetz of Berlichingen." On the 
part of both authors was entertained a due re- 
spect for those models of composition which had 
hitherto been admired; but both doubted the 
propriety of considering these as the ne plus ultra 
of excellence. The French school, as they well 
knew, had its merits ; and so had that of Dryden 



64 GERMAN LITERATURE. 

and Pope in this country. It was well to imitate 
such powerful precursors ; nor was the literature 
of ancient Greece and Rome to be neglected. 
But all this, which had been considered quite 
enough for a course of poetical study, Goethe 
(and after him Scott) looked upon as only a com- 
mencement and foundation. Both clearly per- 
ceived, that as the delineation of characters, 
scenes, incidents, and emotions taken from real 
life, was by far the most difficult species of art, so 
also it was the noblest ; and that for one who had 
courage and perseverance to cultivate this de- 
partment of literature, the field which it opened 
was inexhaustible. 

To the dramatic writers of Germany we cer- 
tainly are indebted for the first dawnings of that 
revolution in literary taste which soon afterwards 
spread through Europe ; but it is also certain, 
that this never would have been effected without 
the study of Shakespeare, and some of his con- 
temporaries. Nor should it be forgotten, that, 
from early youth to his latest years, Shakespeare 
was the constant companion of Sir Walter Scott. 

With regard to German literature, perhaps I 
may be excused, in this place, for repeating some 
paragraphs which appeared eight years ago, in a 
review of Klingemann's Plays. Until about 
1773, when "Goetz of Berlichingen" was first pub- 
lished, the principles of the French school reigned 



GERMAN LITERATURE. 65 

paramount in Germany ; and all those who aspired 
to the rank of good critics were swayed by its 
dogmas. But Goethe had also his precursors, 
who laid the foundation, whereon he afterwards 
reared a superstructure, the commanding charac- 
ter of which was soon universally acknowledged. 
Among the first who paved the way for this 
change was Lessing, a man of very powerful 
mind ; who, with all the critical world against 
him, set the example, in 1760, of writing Bur- 
gerliche Trauerspiele, or, tragedies of real life, in 
opposition to the inane and declamatory kings, 
queens, gods, and goddesses of the French. But, 
like other men of genius, he had a tendency to 
run into extremes, and thus also set the example 
of writing tragic dramas in prose ; a fashion which 
continued in Germany till twenty-five years after- 
wards, when Schiller decided, that blank verse 
was the proper medium for this kind of compo- 
sition. 

On the performances of Lessing immediately 
followed those of Gerstenberg, to whose Ugolino 
it might almost be said, that we are indebted for 
the works of Schiller, as it has been specially 
recorded of the latter, that he dated his first fer- 
vour of inspiration from the perusal of that 
unique, however faulty performance. Incredible 
as it may seem, this tragedy was many times 
represented on the stage ; from which, of course, 

F 



66 LESS1NG, GERSTENBERG, 

it has been long since banished. As far as I can 
remember, the dialogue first commences when 
Ugolino and his three sons have been already, 
for a considerable time, imprisoned. The varied 
and increasing horrors of their last day and night 
are divided by the poet into four acts, through- 
out which such unrivalled power is evinced, both 
of conception and language, and so admirable 
are many passages, that we read as if spell-bound ; 
and feel almost as if it were a duty, however 
revolting, to contemplate, in detail, the dread 
realities of that story which Dante has given com- 
paratively but in outline. In 1768, Gerstenberg 
also published his " Bride," a rifaeimento, from 
Beaumont and Fletcher, which is included in 
his collected works, three vols. 8vo. 1816. 

But of all Goethe's contemporaries, assuredly 
the individual who, next to himself and Schiller, 
had most influence over the public mind, was 
Klinger, who, when twenty-one years of age (in 
1774), published his " Twin Brothers," a tragedy 
in prose, exhibiting scenes which, for horrid 
strength, are unrivalled ; and to the cautious cold 
propriety of the French authors, and their follow- 
ers, exhibits a contrast the most violent imagin- 
able. The subject of his first play was the insane 
hatred and jealousy entertained by one brother 
against another ; and though such a spectacle is 
revolting, the composition was unavoidably ad- 



GOETHE, AND KLINGER. 67 

mired for its overpowering energy of style ; and 
was followed up with incredible rapidity, by three 
or four other tragedies and a comedy, all which 
he seems to have completed within little more 
than twelve months. 

To Goethe's honour be it recorded, that his 
account of Klinger's early prowess forms one of 
the most eloquent and interesting eulogies that 
have ever been pronounced on a literary charac- 
ter ; and as the laudatus a laudato viro is enti- 
tled to respect, it may not be irrelevant to quote 
the following very sensible remarks, from one of 
Klinger's prefaces, especially as they tend to 
illustrate the critical spirit of the times. 

" We have had numberless complaints against 
the wildness and irregularity that characterise 
the literary productions of Germany, especially 
those intended for the stage ; and, to use a homely 
comparison, it may be said, that the process which 
has been gone through was like that of ferment- 
ation, without which the pure essence could not 
be extracted. Unquestionably, the cautious nar- 
row rules of the French theatre, with its sonorous 
declamation, could not satisfy the more active, 
robust, and vigorous character of the Germans. 
He who feels not within himself a share of that 
spirit which led on the Romans to their wondrous 
victories, may write, indeed, as correctly as Cor- 
neille or Racine ; but never will such an indivi- 



68 LESSING, GERSTENBERG, 

dual have the power of an enchanter, to bring 
before us men with all the real energies of life, 
as exemplified by Shakespeare in his Brutus, 
Cassius, and Coriolanus. 

" In truth, the wild struggles for which we 
have been censured were but endeavours to find 
out a mode of composition suitable for us ; though, 
if we had been one individual nation, the case 
would have been widely different, and our pro- 
gress in the arts and sciences would have been as 
regular as that of our neighbours. But why 
should our theatre be modelled after the French, 
seeing that we are Germans, and that the artifi- 
cial finery of Racine's heroes is so unsuitable to 
us ? or, after the modern English, between 
whose humour and ours there is also a wide dif- 
ference ? A character marked by straight for- 
ward honesty, courage, perseverance, and strength, 
rouses the hearts of the German people, while 
they know not what to make of the polite Greeks 
and Romans of our Gallic neighbours ; and with 
the capricious caricatures of the modern English 
school, are not likely to be better pleased. Suf- 
fice it, that the simplest form is always best ; but, 
methinks, the Germans would rather have life, 
reality, and action, than listen to mere sounding 
declamation. It is infinitely more difficult to 
write one piece drawn from real life, than twenty 
wild productions framed out of the author's own 



GOETHE, AND KLINGER. 69 

brain : indeed, to the facility of such composi- 
tions must be attributed their superabundant 
quantity. I certainly found it much easier to 
compose my fantastic ' Grisaldo,' than to trace 
the fates of < Conraddin.' " 

So much for those by whom Goethe was pre- 
ceded, or in his early efforts accompanied. In 
the year 1773, having already gained consider- 
able reputation by his " Werther," he came be- 
fore the public with his " Goetz of Berlichingen ;" 
and from this period may be dated the first 
general manifestation of that perfervidum genium, 
that ardent and creative spirit, which henceforth 
continued to exist, and spread among the Ger- 
mans ; and under whose influence, instead of 
merely indulging themselves in wild and irregu- 
lar phantasies, they have left no class or style of 
composition unexemplified ; nor is there any de- 
partment in which they cannot boast of authors 
highly estimable and distinguished. 

The effect of his first play was electrical ; nor 
was this more than might, with certainty, have 
been predicted. According to the Latin adage, 
the greatest difficulty of art lies in its conceal- 
ment ; and, unquestionably, the production of a 
tragedy like the " Goetz," was no easy task. 
With infinitely more talent than Lessing or Ger- 
stenberg, Goethe, for the first time, exhibited a 
dramatic work, in which not only was the prin- 



70 LESSING, GERSTENBERG, 

cipal personage a real and well-known character 
in German history, but in which, without looking 
to the right or left, the poet had chosen that 
which " lay before his hero in daily life," for the 
sources of interest and sympathetic emotion ; 
proving incontestable, that, by the energies of a 
powerful mind, such materials could be rendered, 
beyond comparison, more valuable than those 
chosen by the admirers of the French school for 
the subjects of their vague and sonorous declam- 
ation. The true poet ennobles and exalts his 
subject, while the mean imitator must have re- 
course to characters and situations which, by 
their pompous attributes, may afford him a sem- 
blance of that dignity and power in which he is 
himself deficient. 

With his usual acuteness and the keen interest 
he always evinced for any new productions of 
genius, Mr. Henry Mackenzie had, in 1798, read 
a paper in the Edinburgh Royal Society on the 
modern literature of Germany ; and it was enough 
for Scott to know, that there were plays and 
poems worth reading, in order to make him a 
zealous member of a small club, who agreed to 
study German under the instruction of Dr. Wil- 
lich, a medical gentleman of considerable repute, 
who spent some time in Scotland, and published 
a treatise " on Diet and Regimen," " Elements 
of Kantesian Philosophy," &c. The doctor ear- 



GOETHE, AND KLINGER. 71 

nestly wished to make his pupils aufait of what 
he called the " geheimnissvolle tiefe " (mysterious 
depth) of his native language, which, as he well 
knew, could only be mastered by patient submis- 
sion to grammatical exercises. According to his 
own statement, Scott's idleness made him the 
laughing-stock of his companions : but it may, 
of course, be doubted, whether he has given a 
just account of his own progress ; for without 
labour and attention he could not have acquired 
that power of reading German which he retained 
in after life. 

Among his fellow-students, Mr. John Macfar- 
lane, advocate, always received high praise for 
his patience and assiduity, while Dr. Willich pre- 
dicted, that Mr. Scott would never succeed, as 
he determined at once to come to the superstruc- 
ture without laying a stable foundation. The 
truth was, that his ambition centered in being 
able to understand the modern productions which 
Mackenzie had recommended; and he always 
spoke with pleasure and animation of his early 
German studies. A German book at Edinburgh, 
especially a modern one, was then a rare acqui- 
sition, and valued in proportion to its rarity. 
Scott, however, soon got into his possession 
the works, so far as they yet existed, of Goethe, 
Schiller, and Burger, and " having," as he used 
afterwards to say, " little else to do," he very 



72 TRANSLATION OF GERMAN BALLADS. 

sedulously set to work, and translated right 
through them ; not troubling himself, at the time, 
to polish his versions, but content if he transfer- 
red to paper, in a broad outline, the sense of the 
author. In this way I believe he not only went 
through the prose plays of Goethe and Schiller, 
but even some of the now forgotten romances of 
Spiess, then an eminent manufacturer for the 
Minerva press of Germany. Among these I 
have heard him speak with peculiar, interest of 
the " Petermanchen," a production of diablerie, 
which his own genius had probably invested with 
interest, such as no other reader could have dis- 
covered in it. 

In Burger's " Lenora," and " Wild Huntsman," 
he found ballads, of which the tone was quite after 
his own heart, and assimilated with his early 
impressions and reveries at Smaylholme Tower ; 
and, as is well known, a version of these ballads 
formed his first publication. But there is every 
reason to believe, that the " Goetz of Berlichin- 
gen" had more influence in disposing his mind 
for the course which he afterwards pursued, than 
any other production, either foreign or domestic, 
which fell in his way. His other translations, 
undertaken merely to fill up leisure time, and to 
acquire a knowledge of German, were suffered to 
lie neglected as mere exercises and waste paper ; 
but this having paramount attractions, was cor- 



TRANSLATION OF GERMAN BALLADS. 73 

rected and published with his name. This tra- 
gedy, indeed, affords a kind of type and example 
of that species of composition by which Scott 
afterwards acquired such unrivalled distinction. 
Here, at least, was a real and well-known histo- 
rical hero of the olden time, — a man whose cha- 
racter was so far from being fabulous, that he has 
left his own very curious autobiography, — and 
without the slightest departure from the realities 
of life, brought out in a manner, till then, unpre- 
cedented in modern art. We may well suppose, 
that, during the task of turning the play into 
English, Scott, reflecting on his own treasures of 
historical knowledge, which were already ample, 
and firmly fixed in his mind, may, like Corregio, 
have exclaimed, AncK io sono pittore ! and may, 
in his reveries, have seen starting up into life 
those characters which he afterwards so power- 
fully, and with such perfect originality, deline- 
ated. 



74 goethe's " egmont.' 



SECTION II. 



HIS EARLY MANHOOD. 



CHAPTER I. 

GOETHE'S " EGMONT" M. G. LEWIS EARLY BALLADS DUKE 

OF BUCCLEUCH PRESIDENT BLAIR LORD MELVILLE. 

Before quitting the subject of German litera- 
ture, it should have been remarked, that Goethe's 
succeeding tragedy of " Egmont" is a production 
of a similar class, and was calculated to deepen 
the impression already produced on Scott's mind 
by " Goetz of Berlichingen." I have heard it 
remarked, that in the romance of " Kenilworth," 
some of the scenes bear so close a resemblance 
to those of " Egmont," that this might be sup- 
posed the effect of imitation. If so, it may be an 
accidental coincidence of story, or an effect of 
memory ; but, assuredly, no writer was ever 
more free from the imputation of borrowing than 
Sir Walter Scott. Had he continued his Ger- 
man studies, the enormous stock of fictions, as 



goethe's " egmont." 75 

well as of historical and antiquarian learning, 
which exist in that language, might indeed have 
supplied materials to work upon, which would 
have saved him trouble, and undergone, in his 
hands, a transmutation like that of lead into gold. 
But I doubt whether his reading in the languages 
extended much beyond those volumes which he 
translated before the year 1800. The works of 
Goethe and Schiller acted like a spark, — or say 
rather a torch, — kindling up his own genius, 
which found ample materials in the old ballads 
and historical records of his own country ; and 
being once excited, required no further aid from 
foreign sources. In truth, after Sir Walter Scott 
became actively engaged in authorship, he every 
year read less and less. As in the early part of 
his life, until the age of twenty-five or thirty, he 
did little else but read ; in his latter years, he 
was so unremittingly engaged in writing, that 
reading no longer afforded his mind sufficient 
excitement. 

One of his earliest friends, whose example 
induced him to try his powers in literature, was 
the eccentric Matthew G. Lewis, whose clever 
ballads, and romance entitled the " Monk," un- 
equivocally modelled from German sources, had 
made him an object of notoriety, which, however, 
was considerably increased by the circumstances 
of his being possessed of a fair fortune in the 
West Indies, moving in fashionable circles, and 



76 M. G. LEWIS EARLY BALLADS. 

having a seat in parliament. No one could pro- 
ceed more cautiously than Sir Walter Scott in 
his first attempts at authorship. So little confi- 
dence did he then place in his own powers, that 
it was not without hesitation he entertained the 
idea of being able to approach the rank of Monk 
Lewis, as a composer of ballads ; but, by the 
approbation cordially bestowed on his " Glenfin- 
las," and " Eve of St. John," he found, perhaps, 
to his surprise, that he had underrated his own 
capacity in that respect. 

I have observed, that the interest he took in 
the politics of the day, combined with literary 
research, formed the main springs on which his 
activity was kept up, and which prevented him 
from assimilating with the idle members of the 
Stove School. If his wishes as to becoming pro- 
fessionally a soldier could not be gratified, it was 
at least in his power to "play at soldiering," — 
an amusement into which he entered with the 
utmost enthusiasm and fervour, when, in the year 
1797, he became an officer under the banners of 
the Royal Mid -Lothian Regiment of Cavalry. 
At this period he cemented a cordial friendship, 
which endured through life, with several very 
eminent public characters, who were also zealous 
adherents of the Tory government ; especially his 
noble kinsman the Duke of Buccleuch ; Mr. Blair, 
afterwards President of the Court of Session ; and 
Henry Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville. 



DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH. 77 

If Scott, according to his own words {vide 
p. 6), had gained no ground in life which was 
not " hard won " by his own exertions, yet in 
his friendships, he assuredly was fortunate, 
especially with those three individuals. Every 
one who remembers the Duke of Buccleuch in 
1797, will be ready to characterise him as a 
model of a nobleman, — by his activity, his re- 
gular habits of business, his buoyant jovial spirit, 
his princely generosity, and zeal to do good 
without ostentation, ennobling the rank which 
he held, instead of depending on that rank for 
distinction. And, in regard to this ancient 
family, the remark which is so seldom applicable, 
must not be omitted ; namely, that their talents 
and virtues have not been, as is too often the 
case, confined to one representative of the house, 
but become in effect, like their fortunes, here- 
ditary. With regard to President Blair, had it 
not been for the assiduity with which he devoted 
himself to a laborious profession, there is little 
doubt that he would have become eminent as an 
author. Overloaded as he was during his prac- 
tice at the bar with a multiplicity of business, 
he yet found time for literature ; and during the 
vacation, always recurred with even juvenile 
vivacity and ardour to his favourite studies. 
Among the President's peculiarities, it may be 
observed, that he could not trifle or dawdle with 



78 PRESIDENT BLAIR. 

any subject, but would unconsciously exert the 
whole strength of the elephant in moving a 
go-cart ; an illustration, however fantastic, which 
will not be misunderstood by those who knew 
him, and remember with what degree of labour 
and research (sometimes far more than was 
necessary) he grappled with every subject. 
Afterwards, and during the first few days of the 
vacation, he would set himself as energetically 
to do nothing ; that is to say, to read " Don 
Quixote," " Gulliver's Travels," " Tristram 
Shandy," and " Humphry Clinker," which, from 
the mere effect of contrast, and his own vivid 
perceptions, always brought with them the zest 
of novelty. It was said of poor Maturin, that, 
when busily engaged in composition, he always 
stuck a black wafer on his forehead, which in- 
dicated to his family that he must on no account 
be disturbed. The induction of a night-cap was 
Mr. Blair's invariable signal that a difficult case 
was on hand, and that no idler must dare to 
approach him. 

Between the character of Scott and that of 
Blair, there existed indeed some strong points 
of resemblance. There appeared in both a great 
command of temper, with a constitution naturally 
irritable ; the same contempt for obstacles, such 
as would have appalled most other men ; the 
same unconquerable spirit in the fulfilment of 



PRESIDENT BLAIR. 79 

duties once undertaken ; whilst, also, in their 
eccentricities, particularly that of absence of 
mind (or abstraction), there was an affinity. This, 
indeed, was more remarkable in Blair than in 
Scott, of which the latter used to mention a 
ludicrous instance. On coming out of his house 
one day, in George's Square, he was met by a 
stranger, who touched his hat, and, with seeming 
familiarity, marched up to the threshold. " What 
do you want, sir?" said the judge, rather sternly. 
" My lord," answered the stranger, " I come 
to call for Mr. Thamson ! " " Mr. Thamson ! " 
repeated his lordship ; " this is my house, and 
my name happens to be Blair. Go about your 
business, sir ! " " My lord, I beg pardon ; Mr. 
Thamson is your lordship's clerk." " Good 
God ! " said the judge, sotto voce, and stalking 
away, " is that mans name Thompson?" The 
clerk had been tolerated by him twenty years or 
more, though distinguished for stupidity; and 
answering, probably, to the familiar appellation 
of James or Saunders, his proper name had been 
wholly forgotten. Non erat tanti viri. 

But of all friends whom, at this early period, 
Scott had acquired, none was more steadfast 
and congenial than the late Viscount Melville, 
and none approved more cordially of that spirit 
which he evinced in drilling the Mid-Lothian 
cavalry corps. It should be noticed, that at this 



80 LORD MELVILLE. 

period of his life, as, indeed, for the following 
thirty years, the author of " Waverley" was 
gifted with great vivacity and buoyancy of spirits. 
His constitution promised to be robust and long 
enduring ; and he was equally ready at all times 
for the sports and labours of the field, or the 
industrious labours of authorship. In regard to 
these last, he had not yet adopted that system of 
early rising, for which he was remarkable in 
latter years, but would sometimes continue his 
studies through the whole night, without being 
inconvenienced by it, or suffering fatigue on the 
following day. 



YEOMANRY SERVICE. 81 



CHAPTER II. 

YEOMANRY SERVICE EARLY ATTACHMENT MARRIAGE — 

WORLDLY PRUDENCE — LIBRARY IN CASTLE STREET COT- 
TAGE AT LASSWADE — HOSPITALITY. 

In whatever Sir Walter Scott undertook, ex- 
cepting, perhaps, the management of pecuniary 
affairs, there appeared the same peculiarity of 
disposition and talents, only turned into a dif- 
ferent channel, which he exhibited in his writings. 
As to the discipline of a troop of yeomanry, 
those only who have served in one can appreciate' 
how much of patience, ingenuity, and applica- 
tion, is required before any respectable appear- 
ance will be made on a field-day. If the French 
had been actually off the coast, Quarter-master 
Scott could not have shewn more alertness and 
spirit than he now did in drilling both horses 
and men, of which many whimsical instances 
might be recorded. With all this enthusiasm, 
he had opportunities enough of indulging that 
keen sense of the ludicrous which accompanied 
him through life, though he never made a 
really ill-natured joke at the expense of any 
one. With this vein of comic humour, it is 



82 EARLY ATTACHMENT MARRIAGE. 

almost needless to observe, that he was a super- 
lative companion in the mess-room, where his 
unaffected cheerfulness, and boundless store of 
anecdote, often set the table in a roar. 

There was once a story current of Sir Walter 
being, in early age, deeply attached to a lady 
of great beauty and high rank ; which liaison, 
as the " tide of true love never did run smooth," 
ended in disappointment, preyed on his spirits, 
and gave, for some time, a recklessness to his 
feelings which might have influenced him to 
plunge deeply into literary research by way of 
a sedative. I know not whether there is any 
foundation of truth for this rumour. 

In 1797, after a ramble through the beautiful 
scenery of the Cumberland lakes, he happened 
to stay for some time at Gills-land, which had 
then some celebrity as a northern watering-place. 
Such places of resort are celebrated for match- 
making, and he here became acquainted with Miss 
Charpentier, whom he speedily afterwards married. 
***** 

Through life Sir Walter Scott imagined him- 
self a prudent man ; I have said imagined, be- 
cause his innate kindness of heart and generosity, 
his literary abstraction, his boundless hospitality, 
love of architecture and landscape gardening, 
old books, pictures, and antiquities, were all at 
war with what is usually termed prudence. 



WORLDLY PRUDENCE. 83 

" For one step uphill," as he sometimes observed, 
" there were three downwards." His resources 
were multifarious; his skill, sagacity, and per- 
severance, in turning them to the best account, 
were worthy of the highest admiration; and, 
having accomplished much as a financier in ac- 
quiring money, which occasionally was showered 
upon him, he perhaps determined also to become 
a rigid disciplinarian in repelling attacks upon 
his purse ; but the barriers he raised against 
expenditure were easily broken down, and to 
become avaricious was wholly impossible. Yet, 
ere dismissing this point, let it be remembered 
that, had it not been for accommodation bills, 
drawn or endorsed to support the credit of his 
bookseller, Sir Walter Scott would never have 
known any real pecuniary difficulties. Were it 
not for the multiplied evils which arose out of 
that one error or misfortune, he might at this 
hour have been alive and affluent. 

I believe, tbat if he betrayed the slightest 
alloy of self-conceit or vanity (than which nothing 
was more opposite to his character), this con- 
sisted in the idea, that though devoted to the 
Muses, he could yet persevere quite enough in 
that homage, without abating one tittle of worldly 
wisdom. He always disputed the notion, that 
a man of letters, or poet, cannot be a man 
of business ; and, after his marriage, was an 



84 LIBRARY IN NORTH CASTLE STREET. 

indefatigable attendant at the parliament-house. 
His extreme partiality for the country, however, 
made him wish for some retreat out of town, 
in which to spend the holydays ; but at first he 
proceeded on a very moderate scale. His re- 
sidence in North Castle Street, Edinburgh, 
formed, for many years, his head-quarters, and 
here was founded that library and collection of 
antiquities and armour which afterwards accu- 
mulated to great extent. The house was small, 
but convenient, having a quiet library in the 
rear, where his books were arranged in such 
perfect order, that he could in a moment com- 
mand any volume that was required ; the dusky 
old covers being always retouched by his con- 
fidential binder, and blazoned with their names 
in gold letters. The massive library table, the 
trophies on the wall, the Roman lamps on the 
chimney-piece, the spectral figures produced by 
old coats of mail and hauberks placed upright, — 
all were in symmetry. There was no litter or 
confusion; and, to prevent an accumulation of 
useless papers (for even the envelopes of the 
letters he received would, in the year, have made 
a waggon load !) a large round basket stood 
always at hand, ready to receive what Vol- 
taire chose to denominate " foul linen." One 
winter evening, when Scott happened to cram 
into the fire a very large manuscript, of which 



COTTAGE AT LASSWADE. 85 

he had made a fair copy, and Mr. Ballantyne, 
the printer, wished to take it out again, " Be 
quiet," said the author, " and rest assured you 
have got what is bad enough already ; don't ask 
for any thing worse ! " In those days he care- 
fully transcribed his productions, and seemed to 
take pleasure in so doing; but latterly, it is 
almost superfluous to observe, that the practice 
was discontinued : in truth, he never even took 
time to read over the pages ere they were sent 
to the printer. 

For landscape gardening, for architecture, as 
already mentioned, and even the interior embel- 
lishments of a house, Sir Walter Scott always 
shewed a peculiar taste ; and no residence could 
come into his possession, even for a short time, 
without being improved. Soon after his mar- 
riage, in 1797, he chose for his summer retreat a 
thatched cottage in the neighbourhood of Lass- 
wade and Roslin, close to the properties of his 
friends, the Duke of Buccleuch and Mr. H. 
Dundas of Melville. The road from Edinburgh 
to Lasswade crosses that tract of country which 
forms the opening scene of action in the " Heart 
of Mid Lothian." It would, indeed, be difficult 
to point out the cottage of Jenny Deans, so many 
new buildings having spread in the once lonely 
district of Newington and St. Leonard's; but, 
about half way to Roslin, there exists, on the 



86 COTTAGE AT LASSWADE. 

right, an old square tower (white-washed), which 
unquestionably stood in the poetical picture for 
the residence of the " Laird of Dumbiedykes." 
The whole road affords beautiful prospects. 
Passing the said Dumbiedykes, you proceed to 
the top of Gilmerton Hill, from whence is ob- 
tained a view of Edinburgh, which, for grandeur 
of outline, cannot be surpassed. Thence, de- 
scending, you soon arrive at the valley of the 
Esk, and village of Lasswade, which I have often 
thought supplied materials for the picture of 
" Ganderseleugh," so humorously introduced in 
the prefaces to " Tales of my Landlord." There 
is the same steep hill down which the Edinburgh 
stage-coach approaches every evening, — the same 
atmosphere of quiet seclusion, which only stupi- 
fied the schoolmaster, but made his usher a poet. 
There is, moreover, a noticeable school-house on 
the river side, wherein Mr. Tennant, the inge- 
nious and learned author of " Anster Fair," for 
some time, enacted the humble part of " Jedediah 
Cleishbottom :" lastly, on a high sloping bank 
there are the ruins of an old church, surrounded 
by lofty ash-trees, which a poetic imagination 
might very easily convert into the remains of a 
venerable abbey. 

Probably the happiest years of Scott were 
spent at this hamlet ; and it might have been 
well for him if ambition, that " last infirmity of 



COTTAGE AT LASSWADE. 87 

noble minds," had never tempted him to change 
his abode. The cottage had attached to it only 
a few acres, comprising the diversities of a pad- 
dock for grazing, a tolerable garden, and, on the 
opposite side, a rising patch of waste ground, 
commanding a view into the beautiful valley 
where now stands Melville Castle. The house 
was neatly thatched, had a romantic appearance, 
and contained a good and cheerful drawing-room, 
of modern date, with a small and rather sombre 
old dining parlour, forming the ideal of a winter 
" snuggery." When Scott first came, the place 
was a neglected wilderness, but he immediately 
commenced his operations to render it a cottage 
orne ; and it delighted him to say, that he and 
Mrs. Scott had executed most of their improve- 
ments with their own hands. I remember that 
two crooked trees, with rugged bark, had been 
selected to form an entrance, having their tops 
fastened together; thus making a rustic arch, 
and ivy was planted below, to twine round their 
shafts. From thence proceeded a carriage drive, 
winding round to the door of the cottage. 
Honey-suckle and China roses were carefully 
trained up its walls; and the garden soon as- 
sumed a flourishing appearance. 

In Scotland, to be wanting in hospitality would 
indeed argue meanness of character, education, 
and birth ; it would form a crime not excusable 



88 HOSPITALITY. 

even on the score of poverty. But of all men 
certainly none could be more hospitable than 
Scott. He was so even to strangers; but to 
friends his kindness knew no bounds: and in 
after years his patience was often sorely tres- 
passed on and tried by visitors, who made their 
entree sometimes without even the shadow of 
previous introduction. One day, at Abbotsford, 
he had been induced to parade before a tedious 
guest of this description, who, finding the house 
full of company, at length took his leave, or was 
bowed out. The "Great Unknown" gladly 
retreated to his own apartment ; but, on the way, 
was overheard muttering to himself, " After all, 
I might at least have asked him to dinner ! " 
Among other causes of his happiness at Lass- 
wade may be reckoned, that from the narrowness 
of the accommodation he could not receive large 
parties ; and if uncongenial guests did arrive, 
they could not, as at Abbotsford, be requested 
to prolong their stay. 



VISIT TO LASSWADE. 89 



CHAPTER III. 

VISIT TO LASSWADE — SIR WALTER'S AVERSION TO DISPUTE 

PERSONAL APPEARANCE LORD KINMEDDER DESCRIP- 
TION OF THE COTTAGE. 

I remember, though it is like a dream, a visit to 
Mr. Scott during the last year of his residence at 
this cottage, which he felt some regret at leav- 
ing ; but his appointment as sheriff had afforded 
a reason why he should be domiciled, for some 
time each year, in the county over which he 
exercised that office. Some rambling notices of 
this visit I shall venture to set down ; but, at 
such distance of time, much cannot be expected 
from recollections of the conversation, which, 
had it been ever so pointed, I was too young to 
appreciate. But the truth is, that men of much 
inferior minds have supplied better materials for 
volumes of " Table Talk " than Sir Walter Scott. 
The leading characteristics of his conversation 
depended on his unaffected good humour, on the 
utter absence of any design to produce effect, 
either by witticisms or superiority of eloquence ; 
for, in this respect, at a party of soi-disant wits, 
he was like a man who persists in wearing plain 
clothes, (or shall I say, dressing-gown and slip- 



90 VISIT TO LASS WADE. 

pers?) whilst others are strutting in bag-wigs 
and gold lace. He sought only relaxation and 
mirth, whilst they were aiming at ostentatious 
display. Somewhat on the same principle that 
led him to withhold his name from the Waverley 
novels, he also seemed rather to shun any dis- 
tinction that might have been gained as a 
" talker," contenting himself with what Gait has 
called a " pleasant comicality ;" and as to his ex- 
cellent old stories and happy illustrations, they 
dropped in by mere accident as his memory 
supplied them, when applicable to the immediate 
topics of discourse. I may notice, en passant, 
one more peculiarity. As it was next to impos- 
sible to inveigle Sir Walter into a colloquial dis- 
pute, it became also scarce practicable for others 
to carry on an angry controversy in his presence. 
Some ridiculous anecdote, or bizarre mode of 
stating the question at issue, generally succeeded 
in making the antagonists both laugh and aban- 
don their hostility. In this respect, Pinkerton, 
Ritson, and Weber, were the most unmanageable 
persons he ever had to deal with ; but even their 
acerbity was neutralised in his presence : though 
poor Weber's insanity, after long and faithful 
service as an amanuensis, became at last too 
apparent to admit of his being, as usual, a guest 
at the table of his benefactor. 

I have been invited to pass an afternoon at the 



sir Walter's aversion to dispute. 91 

cottage, and visit whatever was remarkable in the 
immediate neighbourhood. At that time, I be- 
lieve the principal, or I may say, only object of 
my ambition was, to have a volume of poems 
with or without my name attached to it, actually 
in print! With regard to the contents of the 
book, either in bulk or style, whether ballad, ode, 
or sonnet, I was not particular. A volume, con- 
taining about as much as Gray's Poems, pub- 
lished by a leading bookseller, would have satis- 
fied my desires ; and having accomplished this, 
I should have died content ! Accordingly, I had 
elaborated a thin quarto, of about one hundred and 
twenty pages, with twenty lines in a page, which 
constituted the magnum opus whereon immortality 
was to be founded. Greater trash could scarcely 
exist ; but Mr. Scott, who was fourteen years 
my senior, had the condescension to pronounce 
the verses " very pretty," though he doubted 
(well he might !) if booksellers would like them. 

" I have no pretensions," he added, " to style 
myself a literary character, which would be rather 
an imposing title to found on the mere editorship 
or imitation of some old ballads.* But this much 
I can clearly understand of literary employment, 
especially poetry, — it is good as an amusement, 

* The first edition of " Minstrelsy of the Scottish Bor- 
der" was then in the press. 



92 sir Walter's aversion to dispute. 

but deplorable as a profession. Fortunately, 
however, you have it in your power to woo the 
Muse without needing to consider whether she 
has any tocher ;* and as to the guerdon of praise, 
it is far the best way to look on it as of no con- 
sequence. The man who writes well, generally 
has a pleasure in writing, which alone is a recom- 
pense ; and with regard to obtaining the favour of 
booksellers, or of the public, it is a mere lottery, 
in which, as in other lotteries, those probably 
fare the best who think least about the chances." 
I have admitted some egotism, only to shew in 
what character I was first introduced to the 
" Great Unknown," who, at that period, was 
equally unknown as a great genius, even to him- 
self. In a very beautiful morning of October I 
rode out, fully occupied in mind with anticipa- 
tions of a delightful visit ; for I had discrimination 
enough to perceive, that, as a literary acquaint- 
ance, Mr. Scott deserved to be held in high 
regard, whilst his buoyant spirits and unaffected 
manners rendered him a favourite in all circles. 
On arriving at the heights above Lasswade, I 
thought it the most beautiful village I had ever 
seen. The landscape is well wooded, and finely 
diversified; the small river Esk assumes, in its 
windings, many picturesque forms ; there is a 

* Dowry. 



sir Walter's aversion to dispute. 93 

neat village church, with white spire; and the 
whole scene has an aspect of peacefulness, se- 
renity, and prosperity, not often to be met with 
in villages near Edinburgh. 

Not knowing which was the house, I descended 
the valley, intending to put up at the inn, and 
inquire my way, when a servant in livery, of 
whom I had no remembrance, came up, and 
touching his hat with an air somewhat en mill- 
taire, asked if he should take my horse to the 
stables. Probably his recollection of me, as a 
visitor in Castle Street, was clearer than mine of 
the domestics; and having pointed out the cot- 
tage, instead of mounting the pony, he led it 
away down hill, as respectfully as if it had been 
the charger of a king. 

Every step within or near the abode of an 
eminent man is interesting. I had read, with 
great admiration, all the verses which Scott had 
then produced, including unpublished ballads ; 
and, though without any prophetic notions, felt 
convinced that I was on a visit to no ordinary 
character. Turning off from the highway, I 
entered a cart-track or bye-road, betwixt haw- 
thorn hedges, now profusely covered with the 
red and ripening fruits of autumn, and soon 
reached the entrance -gate, betwixt the two 
crooked trees already mentioned, which are 
visible at the present day, but stripped of their 



94 sir Walter's aversion to dispute. 

bark by the weather. I had scarcely got through 
it, when an angry and sonorous voice excited 
some momentary apprehensions for personal 
safety. It was that of a large dog of uncommon 
breed, with a head like a mastiff's, who came up 
at first very ferociously, and with the eye of an 
examining douanier. It appeared, however, that 
he, like the servant, had some grounds of recon- 
noissance, and decided that I was not contre- 
bande ; for his growls were soon exchanged for 
playful gambols, and he scampered before me, 
looking back with raised eyebrows and a joyful 
expression, as if he would have said, " Come 
along ; this is the way ! " I followed him, till 
we came opposite the drawing-room windows and 
the little peaceful meadow, in which a poney and 
cow were grazing. I was struck with the ex- 
ceeding air of neatness that prevailed around : 
the hand of tasteful cultivation had been there, 
and all methods employed to convert an ordinary 
thatched cottage into a handsome and comfort- 
able abode. The door-way was an angle formed 
by the original old cabin, and the additional 
rooms which had been built to it. In a moment 
I had passed through the lobby, and found 
myself in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Scott, 
and Mr. William Erskine, afterwards Lord Kin- 
nedder. 

At this early period, Scott was, in appearance, 



PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 95 

much more like the portrait by Saxon, (with the 
favourite large dog Camp), engraved for the first 
edition of the " Lady of the Lake," than to any 
subsequent picture. He retained, in features 
and form, an impress of that elasticity and youth- 
ful vivacity which he used to complain wore off 
after he was forty ; and, by his own account, was 
exchanged for the plodding heaviness of an ope- 
rose student. He had now, indeed, somewhat of 
a boyish gaiety of look ; and in person was tall, 
slim, and extremely active. Through life he 
possessed that remarkable mutability of counte- 
nance which occasioned much discrepancy in the 
productions of his portrait painters. It was very 
possible that half a dozen pictures might resem- 
ble the original, and yet be very unlike one to 
another. This is particularly noticeable in the 
two portraits painted at different dates by the 
late Sir H. Raeburn ; of which the first is much 
the best, though greater care was bestowed on 
the second. 

This reminds me of what once occurred at the 
rooms of an eminent artist, who, at the fourth 
sitting, declared himself at fault, and that he 
could not bring out the expression which he 
wished to convey. 

" Why, what the deuce would you have ? " 
answered Scott, " I am sure your production is 
only too good for such a subject." 



96 PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 

" There, — it came back again for a moment," 
said the artist ; " but, no ; it is not yet perfect." 

Meanwhile, a stentorian voice was heard 
among visitors in the adjoining exhibition-room ; 
and Scott, who well knew the comical character 
of the speaker, observed, " Hah ! there is honest 
Jack Fuller." 

" Eureka" cried the artist, " that is precisely 
what I wanted. Now I have caught it, and am 
content." 

The original bust in marble, at Chantrey's, 
exhibits accurately the kind of expression which 
Jack Fuller's oddities must have excited ; but it 
is much enfeebled in the ordinary plaster copies. 

To return. On my entrance, Mr. Scott was 
seated at a table near the window, and occupied 
in transcribing from an old manuscript volume 
into his common-place book. As to costume, 
he was carelessly attired in a widely made shoot- 
ing-dress, with a coloured handkerchief round 
his neck; the very antithesis of style usually 
adopted either by a student or barrister. 

Yet a few words on the common-place book. 
Never did any one, in appearance, enjoy so much 
leisure, and economise time so profitably, as the 
author of " Waverley." Quietly, yet I suspect 
with great inward enthusiasm and delight, he col- 
lected, under particular heads and classes, such 
extracts or traditions as might afterwards enliven 



PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 97 

the dark page of history, or give a strength, 
vitality, and vraisemblance to his original produc- 
tions, which mere imagination, without learning, 
could not possibly afford. I cannot say whether 
the system of a common-place book was regularly 
persevered in ; for he had peculiar modes of 
assisting his memory, which would have been 
of no use to any one else ; but, for example, it 
may be noticed, that he had written, at this time, 
many pages of notanda, directly or indirectly 
connected with the fate of John, Master of 
St. Clair, who was exiled for his share in the 
Rebellion of 1715, and took temporary refuge 
at Kirkwall, in Orkney, where his ancestors had 
once large property, and a princely castle. Of 
these I am not aware that any use was made, 
except what appears in the notes to the " Lay of 
the Last Minstrel." 

I was received with the utmost cordiality. 

" Ha !" he exclaimed, " welcome, thrice wel- 
come ! for we are just now proposing to have 
lunch, and then a long, long walk through wood 
and wold, in which I am sure you will join us. 
But no man can thoroughly appreciate the plea- 
sure of such a life who has not known, by experi- 
ence, what it is to rise spiritless in a morning, 
and dawdle out half the day in the Parliament 
House, where we must all compear within another 
fortnight ; then to spend the rest of one's time 



98 LORD KINNEDDER. 

in applying proofs to condescendences, and drawl- 
ing out papers to bamboozle judges, most of 
whom are daized enough already. What say 
you, Counsellor Erskine ?" 

Not one syllable did this gentleman utter in 
reply. He had just laid down the newspaper, 
taken a huge pinch of snuff from a mull, which 
the Reverend Dr. Jameson had forgotten on the 
previous day, and sat staring at the window. 
Lord Kinnedder was remarkable for abstraction 
of mind and taciturnity ; that is to say, he would 
not speak at all unless when roused by some 
subject which interested him, and he could then 
become very eloquent. He had great enjoyment 
in literature ; but, with regard to his own com- 
positions, was so exceedingly fastidious, that this, 
independently of his professional labours at the 
bar, would have been sufficient to prevent him 
from appearing much as an author. He read, 
however, with intense interest ; and of books 
was so tenacious, that, with the exception of a 
dictionary of decisions, his library always re- 
mained under lock and key, and within cases 
with close fronts, so that no one could see the 
contents, and thus be tempted to borrow a vo- 
lume ; whereas Scott, in regard to books, always 
freely borrowed and lent. With an appearance 
of much quietude and good nature, Erskine had 
a great share of that irritable temperament which 



THE COTTAGE. 99 

often accompanies poetical talent ; and of poetry 
he was a most acute and excellent judge. Merit 
he would carefully discover, and kindly applaud, 
even in the most humble aspirant ; but, wo to 
the author who imagined that he would skip 
over inaccuracies, and be lenient to faults ! He 
was an excellent reader and reciter of verses ; 
and, conscious that he produced good effect, 
very willingly officiated in this way. On no 
other friend as a critic did Scott rely so much 
as on Erskine ; and many times even whole 
pages of poetry, after being transcribed for the 
press, were entirely recomposed at the sug- 
gestion of this fastidious but kind adviser. 

Ere proceeding further, let a few words be 
devoted to the interior of the cottage at Lass- 
wade. With a mind almost perpetually active, 
while, to superficial observers, he might seem a 
trifler, the author of " Waverley " soon gave a 
new appearance to every place of which he 
chanced to be the tenant. He might be em- 
ployed delving in his garden, or knocking nails 
with pieces of cloth into the wall, to train the 
shrubs and fruit trees ; he might be cleaning his 
gun, binding his own books, or arranging anti- 
quities. Yet these occupations did not interrupt, 
but rather assisted pursuits worthy to be called 
intellectual. 

Old books, pictures, and manuscripts ; armour, 



100 ANTIQUITIES. 

costume, and implements of all sorts, seemed to 
be with him necessaries of life ; and they accu- 
mulated wherever he went, like plants and stones 
with the botanist and geologist ; though, instead 
of contributing merely to science, such collections 
gave rise, in his hands, to new creations out of 
old materials, or, I might say, to the production 
of new life. It was not enough to have the 
" hunting-bottle " of King James VI. as an 
object of curiosity, but the rex pacificus must be 
himself evoked to appear once more before the 
eyes of the world in most amusing propria per- 
sona. The temporary cell at Lasswade was not, 
of course, without its antiquarian adornments ; 
and in a recess of one of the windows stood a 
painter's lay figure, supporting a coat of mail, 
and having arms and hands, in one of which was 
placed, fantastically, the remnant of an old rusty 
sword. Over the marble chimneypiece, too, there 
was a trophy composed of an authentic old high- 
land shield, with various swords, arrows, daggers, 
and other weapons, which the owner delighted to 
say were as old as the times of Robin Hood. 



WALK TO ROSLIN. 101 



CHAPTER IV. 

WALK TO ROSLIN OLD CASTLES— MAJOR WEIR THOUGHTS 

ON ROMANCE-WRITING CAVE AT GORTHY. 

" What makes you so grave, Counsellor?" said 
Mr. Scott, again addressing his friend Erskine. 
" Come, alia guerra ! rouse, and say whether 
you are for a walk to day." 

" Certainly ; in such fine weather I don't see 
what we can propose better. It is the last I 
shall see of the country this vacation." 

" Nay, say not so, man ;* we shall all be merry 
twice and once yet before the evil days arrive." 

" I'll tell you what I have thought of this half- 
hour ; it is a plan of mine to rent a cottage and 
cabbage garden ; not here, but somewhere further 
out of town, — perhaps in Ettrick Forest — and 
never again, after this one session, to enter the 
Parliament House." 

* The reader must imagine as he best can the comic 
half-theatrical tone with which the phraseology of Shakes- 
peare and other old writers was introduced by the author 
of " Waverley," in ordinary conversation. To some people 
it will seem odd ; but I cannot help this. 



102 WALK TO ROSLIN. 

" And you will ask Ritson, perhaps, to stay 
with you, and help to consume the cabbages ?* 
But those who talk of running away from duty 
are not always the first to do so. A profession 
may not be very pleasant ; but one takes it ' for 
better and worse ;' and it must never be aban- 
doned. I maintain stoutly my determination- to 
abide by the Parliament House, yet am more likely 
to fling up my gown and briefs than you are. 
Rest assured, however, we shall both sit on the 
bench one day ! but, heigh ho ! we shall both 
have turned very old and philosophical by that 
time. Instead of ballads, I shall, perhaps, be 
writing treatises, like Monboddo, on the origin 
of languages, or to prove that men should have 
tails, varied now and then with an edifying new 
tractate on the law of entail." 

" Did you not expect Lewis here this morn- 
ing?" 

" Lewis, I venture to say, is not up yet, for 
he dined at Dalkeith House yesterday, and, of 
course, found the wine very good. Besides, you 
know, I have entrusted him with Finella, till his 
own steed gets well of a sprain ; and he would 
not join our walking excursion. I see you are 
admiring that rusty sword," he added, addressing 

* Alluding to Ritson, the antiquary's, abhorrence of 
animal food, respecting which he published a treatise. 



OLD CASTLES. 103 

me ; " and your interest would increase if you 
knew how much labour was required to bring it 
into my possession. In order to grasp that 
mouldering weapon, I was obliged to drain the 
well at the castle of Dunnottar." 

" Is Dunnottar Castle worth seeing ? " in- 
quired Erskine. 

" Worth seeing, indeed ! as if it were not worth 
travelling five hundred instead of one hundred 
miles to see. Why, Counsellor, we must go 
there together next spring. We shall find an 
Aberdeen smack atLeith, — no, a Shetland vessel 
homeward bound for Lerwick would be best, 
because we can afterwards visit Shetland also ; 
and we shall make an agreement with the cap- 
tain to set us on shore at Dunnottar, and stay 
there for a whole week if we should wish to do so. 
Were I proprietor of the castle, how proud should 
we be of such a residence ! The walls are stout 
enough ; and, by degrees, I should renovate every 
apartment, keeping up all the gloomy grandeur of 
old times, without losing sight of modern comfort. 
I can resist the temptation of my neighbour's ox 
or ass, but there is no object that makes some 
people so covetous as an old castle. And there 
you shall see, not only the well which I drained, 
but the celebrated Whigs' vault, with remnants 
of the iron staples, stanchions, and chains, with 
which the poor devils were fastened to the wall. 



104 WALK TO ROSLIN. 

How would the selfish, cautious, cowardly crew 
of modern Whigs like such treatment ? But it is 
time to set out ; and here is one friend," ad- 
dressing himself to the large dog, " who is very- 
impatient to be on the field ; he tells me that he 
knows where to find a hare in the woods at 
Mairsbank. And here is another," caressing the 
terrier, " who longs to have a battle with the 
weasels and water - rats, and with the foumart 
that ' wons in a glen,' near the caves of Gorthy. 
So let us be ofi°." 

Mr. Scott and his friend passed the time on 
the way to Roslin in a political discussion on the 
events of the times, of which so little interest 
did I then take in politics, that I scarcely re- 
member one sentence. At length we came to a 
high jutting point of rock, from which, on one 
side, is commanded a beautiful view into the 
valley of the Esk ; and on another are seen, for 
the first time, the ruins of Roslin Castle and its 
chapel. 

" Now, though we are accustomed to all this, 
Erskine," observed Scott, " we must allow our 
young friend to pause, ponder, and admire. 
I suspect, also, that a rest here will be very 
agreeable to all of us. Yonder, sir, you behold 
the far-famed chapelle, founded in 1446, by the 
powerful William St. Clair, which, whatever we 
modern critics may think of it, was not finished 



OLD CASTLES. 105 

without the aid of an architect who had travelled 
to Rome, and throughout all Europe, to learn 
the deeper mysteries of his vocation, and give 
the proper embellishments to its interior. It is 
one of the few remnants of antiquity on which 
our great champion of the Scottish church did 
not exercise his peculiar plans of reformation. 
There you shall shortly tread on the pavement 
under which twenty of the bold barons of Roslin 
are laid in their armour ; and, as you are fond 
of ghosts, I dare say we could make a bargain 
for you with the portress of the chapel, that, if 
so inclined, you might be allowed to pass a 
night there, and try whether any of those 
cavaliers, haply troubled by an evil conscience, 
is in the habit of walking at the spectral hour." 

" If you are going into the chapel," said 
Erskine, " I must insist that the horrid old 
woman with the stick may not be suffered to 
enter it. Give her the money she expects, if 
you will; but let her be paid for holding her 
tongue, not for speaking." 

" Why, Counsellor, she would fling the money 
at our heads ; and, perhaps, lay the stick across 
our shoulders, if we dared to make such a pro- 
position. There is a pleasure in the song which 
none but the songstress knows ; and, by telling 
her that we are acquainted with it already, we 
should only make the poor creature unhappy: 



106 WALK TO ROSLIN. 

and wherefore should we do this only to relieve 
ourselves from a little trial of patience ? Re- 
flect, also, what place is so fit for penance as a 
Roman Catholic chapel ; and thank your stars, 
that you are not obliged to pray for hours or 
weeks together on the cold stones, and live on 
pease meal and water for the expiation of your 
sins." 

I must say that Scott did not afterwards prac- 
tise as he preached ; but, with almost boyish 
drollery, interrupted the old woman's explana- 
tions, starting doubts, and correcting blunders, 
till her indignation was fiercely roused. 

" Owe, ay ! " she said, " it's like eneuch that 
you, indeed, a wild young chap, should ken 
better than me that 's lived a' my days at the 
place, and learned the stories as they are de- 
livered down frae father to son, and frae mither 
to dochter ! " 

" I wish we knew more than we are ever 
likely to do of the powerful family that once 
owned this castle and chapel," said Scott, in a 
reflective tone. " Doubtless there were beau- 
teous damsels, as well as belted knights, that 
now ' sleep the sleep that knows no waking' 
under these cold stones; anxious, of course, 
were the days and hours which they spent 
within these castle-walls; intricate and hazard- 
ous the adventures in which they were engaged. 



OLD CASTLES. 107 

A chronicle of Roslin, or any other old castle 
of consideration ; that is to say, a minute record 
of the lives of its various inhabitants, how they 
fought and caroused, loved and hated, worked 
and played, would be worth more than all the 
mere romances that ever were penned, as a fund 
of amusement and instruction. But we have 
only vague outlines ; imagination must do the 
rest." 

" Yet, as to the Sinclairs, you have consider- 
able evidence already," observed Erskine. 

" Scarcely enough for a condescendence to go 
into court with," replied Scott. " Why, we are 
adopting parliament-house language for every 
thing ! Yes, of a family so highly connected 
and so powerful, we must have evidence. The 
founder of this chapel, with his endless string of 
titles, his princely castle in the Orkneys, and 
his alleged immorality of conduct, is not easily 
to be forgotten. But, on the whole, how little 
more do we learn from history, than that Sir 
William lived and ruled at one time, and Sir 
John at another, while of the fair dames little 
or nothing is said ! We find their names in 
long lists, it is true, and as having assisted on 
certain public occasions of war or pageantry. 
But the poet must either discover or invent far 
more than this. He requires to know their in- 
dividual habits of life, their wants, wishes, and 



108 MAJOR WEIR. 

springs of action. In truth, we know far more 
about Major Weir and his enchanted staff, than 
about any of the Roslin barons and baronesses ; 
and if I were ever to become a writer of prose 
romances, I think I would choose him, if not for 
my hero, at least for an agent and leading one in 
my production." 

" The Major was a disgusting fellow, how- 
ever," said Erskine. " I never could look at 
his history a second time. A most ungentle- 
manlike character ! " 

" True ; but remember you judge only by 
what his enemies have said of him : it is an 
ex parte statement. We are informed that he 
lived in the West Bow, and occasionally gave 
the utmost annoyance to his neighbours by the 
eldritch laughter, and other noises, that arose in 
his house at midnight ; and by the hobgoblins 
that appeared, not only at the windows, but stalk- 
ing along the streets to and from his mansion. 
He is, of course, represented as a public 
nuisance ; and the foulest possible accusations, 
over and above that of dealing with the devil, 
are superadded. We know all this ; and I am 
afraid we know, also, that he was burned alive 
not much more than a hundred years ago, and 
his staff along with him ; which was rather severe 
retributive justice for allowing the tall woman 
with three heads, or without a head, to parade 



THOUGHTS ON ROMANCE-WRITING. 109 

the streets, or permitting his devilish companions 
to laugh at midnight: and would those who 
burned him, or approved of his being burned, 
represent him as a gentleman ? Certainly not. 
But all this does not afford any sufficient reason 
why a poet or novelist should not introduce him 
as a highly intelligent, well-educated personage, 
who had before signalised himself in the wars ; 
and, as Dogberry says, " had losses." Though 
he dealt with the devil, and the hobgoblins came 
about him, why should we set him down for an 
ungentlemanly fellow, unless we could have his 
own statements also (which, rely on it, have 
been suppressed), and knew the motives for his 
actions at least as well as we know those of 
Dr. Faustus ? " 

From Roslin Chapel we went almost imme- 
diately, by a wooden bridge, across the river, 
to visit a certain cave which was a favourite with 
Scott in those days, though it is only an in- 
significant one among many which exist in 
Scotland similar to that in which the " Barons 
of Bradwardine" took refuge. It enters from 
the front of a precipitous cliff, is cut into the 
solid rock in the form of a cross ; that is to say, 
has one apartment of considerable size, with two 
niches, or recesses. Like other places of the same 
kind, it is concealed from observation by over- 
hanging thickets of wild-wood; nor can it be 



110 CAVE OF GORTHY. 

reached without clinging to the branches, either 
in mounting or descending. We descended: 
and here an accident occurred which might have 
had serious results. We came along in safety 
till we stood close to the cave ; but, in turning 
to enter it, Scott made a sort of leap, which his 
lameness rendered ineffectual, missed his footing, 
and fell down the precipice. Had there been no 
trees in the way, he must have been severely 
injured ; but, mid- way, he was stopped by a 
large root of hazel, where, instead of struggling, 
which would have made matters greatly worse, 
he seemed perfectly resigned to his fate, and 
slipped through the tangled thicket till he lay 
flat on the river's bank. All this was so alarm- 
ing, that I could not help uttering a loud ex- 
clamation. " Never mind," said Erskine, " I 
am certain he is not hurt;" and, accordingly, 
Scott rose in an instant from his recumbent 
position ; and, with a hearty laugh, called out, 
" Now, let me see who else will do the like!" 
He scrambled up the cliff with alacrity, and 
entered the cave, where we had a long dialogue. 



DINNER PARTY. Ill 



CHAPTER V. 

DINNER PARTY MR. JOHN LEVDEN RITSON, THE ANTI- 
QUARY — PLAYFULNESS OF MANNER REMARKS ON IN- 
SANITY ANECDOTES OF THE LATE LORD K —PRO- 
POSED RAID OF ROSLIN. 

On our return to the cottage, we found the party 
increased by the arrival, in our absence, of Mr. 
John Leyden, and a gentleman of grave and 
formal manners, whom I never saw before nor 
since, and named (I believe) Mr. Maeritchie. 

I have already noticed Scott's friendly dispo- 
sition to patronise and assist meritorious aspi- 
rants to literary distinction ; and, among his 
young acquaintances and fellow-students of old 
manuscripts and border traditions, Leyden, not- 
withstanding his bizarre manners, was, perhaps, 
of all the most congenial and deserving. He had 
boundless enthusiasm for Scottish characters of 
the olden time, for Scottish music, poetry, and 
scenery, for hard study in every department ; 
and to all his undertakings applied himself with 
a degree of ardour which no difficulties, com- 
plexity, nor even danger, could extinguish. His 
favourite principle was, that difficulties exist but 



112 MR. JOHN LEYDEN. 

for the bold and persevering to conquer ; and in 
a humble department, that of transcribing from 
books and manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, 
he cheerfully rendered Scott good service; in- 
deed, could have written sixteen hours per day, 
without once complaining of the drudgery. Fa- 
tigue, he maintained, was a feeling which entirely 
depended on the mind, and over which the mind 
ought to triumph. Probably no one ever left 
his own country, as a professional man in search 
of fortune, with more acute emotions of regret 
than Leyden; and this he has beautifully ex- 
pressed in subsequent poems. His unconquer- 
able spirit proved, at last, the indirect cause of 
his untimely end; for the severe application to 
which he subjected himself, in his oriental studies, 
no doubt weakened his frame, and rendered him 
less able to contend with the malady that attacked 
him when on duty in the pestilential island of 
Java. But of personal fear, or even caution, he 
seemed at all times nearly insensible. 

On our arrival, Scott inquired what had be- 
come of the learned cabbage-eater, meaning Rit- 
son, whom he had expected to dinner. 

" Indeed, you may be rejoiced that he is not 
here," answered Mrs. Scott, " he is so very dis- 
agreeable. Mr. Leyden, I believe, frightened 
him away." 

Leyden then described, with some asperity, 



MR. JOHN LEYDEN. 113 

what had occurred. About two o'clock, when 
Ritson made his appearance, a cold round of beef 
was on the table, of which Mrs. Scott inadvert- 
ently offered him a slice, and the antiquary, in 
his indignation against the use of animal food, 
had expressed himself in such outrageous terms 
to the lady, that Leyden first tried to correct 
him by ridicule, and on the madman becoming 
more violent, grew angry in his turn, till at last 
(Mrs. S. having left the room) he threatened, if 
his antagonist were not quiet, he would " thraw 
his neck," which, I almost believe, he would have 
done. Scott shook his head at this recital, as if 
he did not much approve of Leyden's conduct, 
any more than that of the other party ; which the 
former observing, grew vehement in his own jus- 
tification. Scott said not a word in reply, but 
took up a large bunch of feathers, tied to a stick 
for dusting pictures, and shook it about the stu- 
dent's head and ears, till he laughed, then changed 
the subject. This might seem unworthy of repe- 
tition, yet, by those who were acquainted with 
the illustrious subject of these memoranda, it will, 
however insignificant, be recognised as strictly 
in keeping with that playfulness of manner and 
aversion to dispute which I have already men- 
tioned. 

This reminds me of a remark, which will be 
appreciated as being made in the same gentle 
i 



114 RITSON THE ANTIQUARY. 

spirit. In allusion to an unfortunate litterateur 
(since dead), who contrived to live in a perpetual 
worry of apprehension, and was a malade ima- 
ginaire, Scott once observed to me, — 

" That poor man, I fear, will end in actually 
producing all the misfortunes which he is so 
desirous to avoid. I have tried every means to 
divert his mind, but in vain. He is a living 
proof of our adage, that * those who seek freits 
find them.' I could verily believe, that if a mere 
child attacked him with a drawn sword, he would 
run against the blade, instead of putting it gently 
aside, as we should always do with the minor, 
and, if possible, with all the greater evils of lifer 

To return. Dinner was plainly and unosten- 
tatiously, yet elegantly served, and our enter- 
tainer made every one happy by the mere 
influence of that good-humoured drollery which 
appeared natural to him, and of which the effect 
depended more on the tone and manner than the 
words. Some allusion being again made to Rit- 
son, " it has been truly said," observed Mr. Scott, 
" that no question is more puzzling than how to 
draw the line of demarcation between downright 
madness and those aberrations which are the 
effect of mere eccentricity. Every mortal, I 
suspect, is vacillating betwixt good sense and 
folly; and it is, of course, much easier to be 
foolish than wise. But such more than half crazy 



PLAYFULNESS OF MANNER. 115 

characters are very inconvenient in the world. 
One is always kept in a state of suspense, and 
inclined to ask, not without some apprehension, 
' What will they do next ? ' Yet, with myself 
alone, Ritson never gets quite off the hinge ; for 
his thoughts are occupied with subjects which 
he understands well enough, and pursuits in 
which his industry and microscopic accuracy can 
render good service." 

"He is himself an insect!" interposed Ley- 
den. 

" Well, never mind ! I was only going on to 
say, that, excepting some needless abuse of other 
copiators and collators, he steers clear of the 
quicksands of insanity, and fixes his attention on 
the proper mark. Now, if it were possible to 
keep mad people always occupied with the only 
employments which they are fit for, this, of 
course, would be an effectual method of render- 
ing them both quiet and useful." 

" But this not being possible, they ought to 
be locked up," replied Leyden. 

" Very true ; only they don't like it," an- 
swered Scott; " but with so much nonsensical 
irritability, and that fatal symptom, groundless 
suspicion of all the world, I am convinced Ritson 
will end in a madhouse.* Nothing oversets the 

* This prediction was at last realised. 



116 REMARKS ON INSANITY. 

balance of reason sooner than the notion, that 
one is watched from all quarters, and every where 
looked upon with an evil eye." 

On this topic the discourse was kept up for 
some time, Scott animadverting on the power 
which madmen possessed of resisting their own 
morbid propensities, and behaving with unex- 
ceptionable propriety, as long as they could be 
prevailed on to take the trouble of so doing ; also 
on the acuteness which they frequently shewed 
in detecting the follies of others. " It is odd 
enough," he remarked, " that a mere maniac will 
sometimes give advice to a brother patient as 
wisely and sensibly as the best man of business, 
moralist, or physician, could possibly do." He 
then introduced an anecdote of a certain noble- 
man in the north of Scotland, who was liable to 
fits of mental aberration, though at other times 
remarkable for discrimination and shrewdness. 
In early life, this individual had been in the 
army, had lived much at foreign courts, and was 
very dignified in his manners. On one occasion, 
his lordship became greatly excited, and so un- 
manageable, that his household and family were 
much alarmed. In this emergency, they luckily 
found, in the neighbouring village, an old soldier 
of respectable appearance, who, being instructed 
how to play his part, and grandly accoutred in 
military costume, was introduced to his lordship 



REMARKS ON INSANITY. 117 

as a foreign general, with a most imposing and 
sonorous nomine de guerre, which I forget. In- 
stantly did his lordship dismiss all the crotchets 
which had before taken possession of his brains ; 
resumed his usual demeanour ; and, though the 
lucid interval had not returned, behaved with the 
utmost politeness to the stranger. 

" This farce was kept up for some days, during 
which the earl, though he continued as mad as a 
March hare, never broke out into any violence 
in the presence of his distinguished guest. At 
length, the paroxysm of the malady abated ; his 
lordship's customary good sense began to revive, 
and, one morning, he looked at his keeper with a 
scrutinising eye. * You may be a general,' said 
he, 'for aught I know, but, by the ghost of Prince 
Eugene, you smell damnably of the halbert? 
So," concluded Scott, " the generals staff was 
broken, and the spell dissolved. However, the 
desired effect had been gained, and his lordship 
got rid of his mad fit and the general together." 

Of the same nobleman I remember a ludicrous 
extravaganza. He had been overreached in a 
bargain by a country attorney, who was one 
evening summoned to attend at his lordship's 
house. With great precision the earl went 
through the business in hand, read over some 
papers, paid a sum of money, and took a receipt. 
He then rose, locked the door, and put the key 



118 REMARKS ON INSANITY. 

in his pocket, walked very deliberately to a se- 
cretaire, from which he drew out a pistol, exa- 
mined the priming, and rubbed his thumb nail 
along the edge of the flint, to put it in order. 
Moreover, he kindled a taper. " Now, Mr. 

," said he, " I have only to trouble you with 

one other request, which is, that you will eat 
that pair of tallow candles, and, by G — , if 
you don't eat them, I will shoot you directly." 
Remonstrance would have been in vain. The 
only palliation, in the sentence, was the being 
allowed to cut the wicks into shreds with his pen- 
knife ; and the attorney being firmly convinced 
that his lordship was in a mad fit, felt exceedingly 
glad to escape with his life on any conditions, 
therefore submitted to the task without a mur- 
mur. 

After dinner, when Mrs. Scott retired, the 
grave formal gentleman, who was, I believe, a 
native of Glasgow, requested permission to make 
a bowl of cold punch, which was readily granted. 
I had then the honour of starting a theme for 
conversation, which lasted the remainder of the 
evening ; for, having this much in common with 
the author of " Waverley," that I was fond of 
antiquities, I proposed a secret excursion to 
Roslin chapel at the dead of night ; that we 
should enter it by the window of the sacristy 
on the east, provided with a dark lantern, and 



PROPOSED RAID OF ROSLIN. 119 

all necessary implements, and should dig up and 
carry away at least one of the twenty coats of 
armour which are said to be mouldering under 
the cold stones of the chapel. Had any one 
actually ventured on this exploit, I am persuaded 
Scott would have been among the first to pre- 
vent or punish the offender ; for such infringe- 
ment on sacred ground, and the etiquette due even 
to the dead in old families, was quite inconsistent 
with his principles. But 7, for one, was per- 
fectly serious ; and it amused our host to humour 
the plan, and enter into all its details, more 
especially as our solemn friend, Mr. Macritchie, 
over his bowl of punch, taking the whole in 
downright earnest, became ludicrously zealous 
in interposing wise objections, and starting end- 
less doubts as to the hazard and impropriety of 
the undertaking. To parry his arguments, 
seemed to afford Scott great entertainment. 
Leyden, I believe, felt as gravely bent as myself 
on carrying this plan into execution, though he 
screamed with laughter at the conversation ; and 
a day was actually appointed for the " Raid of 
Roslin," but subsequently, on account of bad 
weather, not to speak of other motives, our 
scheme was abandoned. 



120 LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL. 



CHAPTER VI. 

LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL COWPER's TASK FRIENDLY, 

BUT ERRONEOUS CRITICISM— APPOINTMENT AS SHERIFF 

PARTY SPIRIT PUBLICATION OF THE LAY. 

On the merest trifle often hinges the fortune of 
a whole future life ; and had it not been for the 
accidental suggestion of the beautiful, accom- 
plished, and truly amiable Countess of Dalkeith, 
Scott would certainly never have written his 
first metrical romance ; and, possibly, never even 
dreamed of rising to high eminence as an author. 
She had heard the legend of the dwarf-demon, 
" Gilpin Horner," and wished to have some 
verses written about him, probably thinking this 
would be an easy task ; and her slightest wish 
was a law. But the dwarf was no very poetical 
personage. He had made his appearance un- 
expectedly, it is true; had behaved capricious- 
ly, like Number Nip ; frightened both grown 
people and children ; shewn the notable inclina- 
tion for mischief, which is customary with devils ; 
and at last vanished as unexpectedly as he came : 
but all this was quite as well told in prose, as 
in the best rhymes that ever were penned. In 



cowper's task. 121 

order to meet Lady Dalkeith's wishes, therefore, 
he must be introduced as an inferior and infernal 
agent in some plot of importance, which was 
yet to be devised. Neither the devil nor his 
imps could be brought into poetry for their own 
sakes, nor unless there was something of con- 
sequence to be done. Thus arose the " Lay 
of the Last Minstrel," though the original idea 
of " Gilpin" soon became subordinate, and was 
lost in the superstructure. 

In regard to the composition of his first long 
poem, Scott resembled an author from whom, 
in other respects, he most widely differed. Lady 
Hesketh wished that Cowper would write for 
her a few lines or pages of blank verse, and gave 
him, at hap-hazard, the " Sofa" for a subject. 
He began with no higher aim than to fulfil the 
commands of his female friend ; and the result 
was, that a lo-ng and most original poem unex- 
pectedly rose up, which formed at once the 
basis of his immediate and lasting reputation. 
The analogy does not stop here. In after life 
Cowper planned another blank verse poem, 
which, at the outset, he intended for a great 
work, to be entitled the " Four Ages of Man ; " 
but he wrote with difficulty only about one 
hundred lines, and nothing more came of it. 
With this might be compared the " Lord of the 
Isles," though the difference betwixt Scott's 



122 FRIENDLY, BUT ERRONEOUS CRITICISM. 

character and that of Cowper cut off the risk 
of its remaining unfinished. The subject was 
the best he had yet treated ; and there is no 
want either of strength or art; yet the genial 
feelings, the vivida vis, the je ne sais quoi of 
poetic inspiration were less obvious ; and, instead 
of adding by it to his celebrity, he had the mor- 
tification of seeing it drop almost still-born from 
the press e 

Of the Last Minstrel he wrote, at Lady Dal- 
keith's request, some opening stanzas, which he 
read to his friends, who, being of course utterly 
unconscious of the effects to which such a com- 
mencement might lead, received them with great 
coldness. The rule holds good, never to shew 
to fools or children a work half done. His 
readers thought the beginning very odd ; had 
not the remotest conception of the author's latent 
powers ; and, as usual with critics in such cases, 
were inclined to think the worst.* Although he 
at first destroyed his production, and seemed to 
abandon the idea, yet there is no doubt he had 
conceived the plan of an entire poem ; for, when 
one friendly critic afterwards declared that the 
lines had dwelt on his remembrance, and he 
wished the author would go on with it, the work 

* Nearly the same thing took place twelve years after- 
wards with regard to the first chapters of" Waverley." 



APPOINTMENT AS SHERIFF. 123 

proceeded at the rate of about a canto in a week. 
Such rapidity was a natural effect of his vivid 
conception of character and situation, which 
carried him on without effort, so that the work 
proved as entertaining to the author in com- 
position, as to his admirers in perusal. In the 
" Last Minstrel," we find that happy blending 
of descriptive passages with the narrative, which 
forms a leading charm of the Waverley novels ; 
and the language and metre present the careless 
freedom natural to a man who feels himself 
master of the subject, and that in his hand it is 
thoroughly plastic. The mere simple ballad of 
" Rosabelle" alone — so clear, so graphic, and 
so melodious — would have been enough to ac- 
quire for its composer the reputation of a poet. 
****** 

His appointment as sheriff, and migration 
from Lasswade to his new residence, formed, of 
course, a grand epoch in a quiet literary life. 
Ashestiel was an old and rather dilapidated 
house; not in itself romantic, but situated in 
Ettrick forest, amid scenery affording all those 
elements which a poetic mind delights to com- 
bine and work upon. It stands close to the 
banks of the bold and bright river Tweed, which 
flows past the garden on the south ; and is 
surrounded by wild mountains, exhibiting here 



124 PARTY SPIRIT. 

and there the gray ruins of an ancient fortress, 
and straggling patches of underwood, remnants 
of the once celebrated forest. It was a scene in 
every respect congenial to his taste and imagina- 
tion ; he could here live more majorum, after 
the style of his own baronial ancestors, nor enjoy 
the pleasures of the " merry greenwood" one 
tittle the less because the domains were not his 
own. The profound solitude and tranquillity of 
this district were admirably adapted to promote 
literary industry and invention ; all its features 
were suited to revive and deepen those early im- 
pressions from the lonely heaths of Roxburgh- 
shire already so often mentioned, and to which 
he owed his first poetic reveries and impulses. 

Scott was now probably aware that he moved 
in a path which might lead him to the highest 
honours, and may have felt some share of that 
intoxication which gratified ambition usually 
excites ; but if so, not the slightest trace of any 
such feeling appeared in his outward demeanour, 
which was invariably humble and unpretending. 
At this time party spirit was cherished in Scot- 
land to a degree which, in the present era, would 
appear ludicrous and absurd; and the poetical 
sheriff of Selkirk being an individual highly 
esteemed by leading members of the Tory 
faction, was proportionably disliked by the 



PUBLICATION OF THE LAY. 125 

Whigs, with whom, however, he always kept 
ostensibly on the best possible terms ; for, 
though they might contemn his principles, or 
affect to despise his ballads, they at least could 
not deny the amenity of his manners, and the 
sterling integrity of his character in private life. 

In the beautiful and quiet seclusion of Ashe- 
stiel, the " Lay of the Last Minstrel" was com- 
pleted, and appeared in 1805. Rapidly it spread 
his reputation, and the most inspiriting encomia 
poured in from all quarters. The description of 
Melrose Abbey, and the ballad of " Rosabelle," 
were imprinted on every one not utterly un- 
susceptible of the charms of romantic poetry ; 
and it was scarce possible to visit any house 
where a copy of this expensive quarto, with its 
" rivulet of verse flowing through a meadow of 
margin," was not to be found on the drawing- 
room table. Yet the poem had, of course, its 
hypercritics, especially some wiseacres among 
the Whig faction, who were not disposed to 
admit that what was so contrary to established 
rules, and to their criterions of excellence, should 
be considered poetry. But the intrinsic beauty, 
the originality, and vivid feelings of the " Lay," 
were attractions too powerful to be resisted. 
These potent spells had done their duty ; had 
worked their way to the hearts of the public ; 
and the empire thus gained, could not be un- 



126 PUBLICATION OF THE LAY. 

dermined nor shaken by the efforts of such 
petty cavillers. The volume produced to the 
author an honorarium of six hundred pounds; 
by far the largest sum which had ever been 
paid in Scotland for any poetical production. 



EQUANIMITY. 127 



CHAPTER VII. 

EQUANIMITY ANNOUNCE IN 1807 OF EPISTLES FROM ET- 

TRICK FOREST — APPOINTMENT AS CLERK OF SESSION 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Meanwhile, no one ever bore his new honours 
more meekly than the admired " Minstrel," who 
seems to have adopted, very early in life, those 
principles of indifference to outward causes of 
excitation, which he has himself recorded. He 
had traced the sufferings of the genus irritabile 
vatorum to that very irritability which they 
might have easily avoided ; and was determined, 
therefore, to concentrate his attention on his 
own pursuits, without allowing himself to be 
either misled by plaudits, or vexed by criticism. 
In this respect, perhaps, he may be compared 
to his great contemporary Goethe, who used to 
say, that his leading maxim through life had 
been, to keep himself in a state of tranquillity. 
Notwithstanding the admiration excited by the 
" Lay," it was Scott's persevering practice to 
give himself out for a mere man of business. 
Daily and regularly he appeared during the 
session on the boards of the parliament-house ; 



128 APPOINTMENT AS CLERK OF SESSION. 

and though no strife arose amongst attorneys 
who should first secure his assistance, yet he 
went through the routine of duty, and main- 
tained that literature should never be allowed to 
supersede professional engagements. But all 
the world now courted his society, and every one 
expressed a wish that he would produce another 
poem. For two years, however, he remained 
undecided what was to be the subject; and, 
during this interval, contented himself with pub- 
lishing a separate edition of his " Ballads and 
Lyrical Pieces ; " and announcing, in the end of 
1807, " Six Epistles from Ettrick ^Forest," which 
were then partly written, but were afterwards 
remodelled, and adapted as introductory dedica- 
tions prefixed to the several cantos of " Mar- 
mion." 

Benefits, like misfortunes, rarely come single ; 
and within the next year after the flattering re- 
ception of the " Last Minstrel, the friends whom 
he had gained, and who were steadily attached 
to him, obtained for Scott from Mr. Pitt's 
government the promise of a situation, the best 
of all adapted to his wishes ; namely, that of a 
principal clerk of session, whose duty it is to sit 
immediately under the bench, and take down 
the decisions of the court, also to sign divers 
papers. The appointment was ratified with 
many complimentary expressions by Mr. Fox 



APPOINTMENT AS CLERK OF SESSION. 129 

and his friends during their short accession to 
power. In order to fulfil the duties of this 
place, rapidity and precision of penmanship are 
especially requisite ; and for these qualifications 
(the rapidity in particular) Scott, until his 
latter years, was eminently distinguished. After 
his illness in 1819, however, his hand became 
much changed ; and though similar, in cha- 
racter, was cramped, and even illegible, except 
to those who were habituated to its peculiarities. 
His predecessor, Mr. George Home, who had 
broke down under the Herculean task of noting 
decisions, but who still survived, drew, for several 
years, the entire profits of the situation ; till, in 
1812, this gentleman received a pension and 
retired ; so that, henceforth, Scott derived a 
competent income from his appointment, not, in- 
deed, always the same, but averaging at 1500/. 
per annum. 

He was thus completely withdrawn from the 
bar ; and, like a voyager who had got into port, 
might still look upon himself as a traveller or 
man of business, if he would ; but all that he 
had to do in the latter capacity, was to keep 
pen in hand, and note down decisions. The 
employment, however, would have proved ex- 
ceedingly irksome to any literary man not ac- 
customed by strict discipline and early rising to 



130 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

make the most of his time, for he was under the 
necessity of attending in court every day from 
ten to two o'clock. But, instead of being an- 
noyed by such drudgery, it seemed as if he 
delighted in it, and had some feelings of self- 
complacency at rendering himself useful. The 
lord-president had before ironically said, that he 
was eminently well provided with clerks, having 
four, of whom, " one could not read, another 
could not write, and two could neither read nor 
write ! " On the contrary, Mr. Scott, from the 
commencement of his labours, was complimented 
by the judge for the correctness and celerity with 
which he acquitted himself; and, I believe, he 
felt as much flattered by such approbation, as by 
the praise bestowed on his poetry. 

I have an imperfect remembrance of some 
stanzas written by the Rev. James Marriott, 
" On Mr. Walter Scott's leaving the Bar," and 
first published in the " Edinburgh Annual 
Register." They were so well conceived and 
expressed, that I would have transcribed them 
here, but have no access to a copy, nor, indeed, 
to any book. 

The predictions of Mr. Marriott and his other 
friends were realised. No sooner had he ob- 
tained a situation which would have induced 
most other people to subside into quiescence, 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 131 

than he began, in right earnest, those literary 
labours which continued henceforth without in- 
termission, until nearly the close of his life. At 
this period the mania for black-letter books 
began to manifest itself in the land; and, like the 
once notable tulip-madness in Holland, proved 
an important source of emolument to those who 
had even a small capital to embark in the pro- 
duction of rare specimens. It was quite possible 
for such traders occasionally to purchase, for a 
trifling sum, an entire library from some im- 
provident or illiterate representative of an old 
family, by whom the books were looked upon 
as mere lumber. From these the fortunate pur- 
chaser well knew how to select the gems in- 
estimable in the eyes of a collector, any one of 
which, being properly set and adorned in its 
fragrant binding of Russia leather, would some- 
times bring more than as much money as had 
been given for the whole lot ! It was, indeed, 
on this basis principally, that the late Mr. Con- 
stable, who had the honour of publishing the 
" Lay of the Last Minstrel," and " Marmion," 
contrived to accumulate that wealth, or acquire 
that credit, which, if more prudently managed, 
might have insured him stability and reputation 
for life. Mr. Scott was one of the very few 
among Constable's patrons who could turn this 



132 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



mania to good account ; for, whilst he seemed 
to the uninitiated to have an indiscriminate ap- 
petite for old books of every description, the 
truth was, that he seldom made a purchase of 
one without some rational and special object in 
view. The volume in itself alone might be of 
no value, but joined in as collateral evidence, 
and served like one of the component stones of 
an arch; his old books being all reduced into 
particular classes, each bearing on some par- 
ticular point or era in history, manners, criticism, 
politics, or superstition. Among his collections 
in this way, by far the most valuable were those 
in the department of Scottish and English his- 
tory. But, for many years, one of his favourite 
pursuits was that of demonology and witchcraft ; 
a subject which he, no doubt, would have treated 
with great effect, had it not been laid aside for 
better things, till the " evil days came ; " and in 
all that he then wrote, however estimable, there 
appeared to those who had known him in better 
times, the characteristics of hurry and constraint. 
The learning, industry, and research, were still 
obvious ; and in almost every page, some line 
or sentence existed, which was in unison with 
the tone of former days; but the genial spirit 
which ought to have animated and harmonised 
the whole, no longer appeared. The work was 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 133 

task-work; and the energy which prompted such 
exertions, under disadvantageous circumstances 
and painful impressions, soon worked its own 
decay. 



134 PUBLICATION OF MARMION. 



SECTION III. 

LOVE, HONOUR, OBEDIENCE, TROOPS OF 
FRIENDS." 



CHAPTER I. 



PUBLICATION OF MARMION — MODE OF COMPOSITION — 
DUCHESS OF GORDON — EDITION OF DRYDEN, AND VARIOUS 
OTHER TASKS JOHN BALLANTYNE AND CO. 

In authorship, whatever be the rank and talents 
of the writer, the assistance of a trading pub- 
lisher is requisite. This is quite as indispensable 
as counsel at a trial in court, where an attempt, 
either by plaintiff or defendant, to plead his own 
cause, is generally a wretched failure. A trades- 
man becomes an author's medium of communi- 
cating with the public, as the counsel is betwixt 
the litigant and judge ; and the best book in the 
world, without such aid, will, of course, be lost, 
like an undefended cause. From commencement 
to the end, there were circumstances which 
embittered Sir Walter Scott's connexion with his 
principal publisher, and it might have been well 



PUBLICATION OP MARMION. 135 

had he succeeded in breaking it off altogether. 
There was in Constable, along with an open 
countenance and specious manners, a degree of 
craft, cunning, and selfish ambition, which at 
last proved his ruin. The truth was, that his 
real means was always slender ; nor had he any 
method of increasing his store, except by living 
on the talents and industry of others, and over- 
reaching them in bargains. How to do this with 
sufficient address, was his grand object. Ac- 
cordingly, he smiled, bowed, and cajoled in the 
presence of certain leading men, whose counte- 
nance and support he trusted would bear him 
through. But it happened, from his being pub- 
lisher of the " Edinburgh Review," that Con- 
stable's chief supporters were among the Whig 
faction, who entertained of Scott a very bitter 
jealousy, and were the more incensed against him 
exactly as his acquirements and reputation ad- 
vanced.* 

It required no great discrimination on the 
part of the bookseller to perceive that Mr. Scott 
was an author of extraordinary merit ; and that, 

* It has been said that I have blamed the late Mr. Con- 
stable far too much, and entirely forgotten his merits. 
Notwithstanding the ruinous consequences of that plausible 
manner and selfish ambition which I have mentioned, it is 
but just to add, that Sir Walter never, to my knowledge, 
uttered against his publisher one word of reproach. 



136 MODE OF COMPOSITION. 

having already a competent income (though Mr. 
Home had not yet retired), he was not likely 
to send forth another poem unless a suitable 
price were offered for the copyright. He, there- 
fore, boldly, and as it afterwards turned out, 
wisely offered one thousand pounds for the next 
metrical romance ; and it is doubtful if " Mar- 
mion" would have been so soon composed, or 
given to the world, had not the author wished 
to command this round sum for the special 
purpose of assisting a friend who was then dis- 
tressed.* Strange to say, even this production 
was sent to press, — I mean the printing had com- 
menced, — long before the work was finished, and 
before the author had clearly determined how 
the story was to be wound up. But almost all 
his works were perfected in this manner. It 
seemed as if he delighted in that stimulus of 
self-imposed necessity under which most writers 
would have infallibly broken down. Besides the 
excitement of being obliged to feed the press, 
there was, perhaps, a gratification of conscious 
talent in bringing his dramatis per sonce into such 
a predicament that it might seem wholly im- 
possible to extricate them, and yet making his 
way through the confusion as if with the power 

* The profits afterwards realised, when a novel, written 
in three months (perhaps in three weeks), brought seven 
or eight thousand pounds, were not yet even dreamed of. 



DUCHESS OF GORDON. 137 

of a magician. Doubtless, a fictitious story, in 
whatever stage it may be, is still plastic ; but 
those who have hypercriticised on the awkward 
terminations to some of his plots, might, if they 
had known the attendant circumstances, have 
rather wondered how any thing like a rational 
denouement could be effected at all. 

" Marmion," after printing had been com- 
menced, advanced with great rapidity, most part 
being composed during the winter of 1808, amid 
the daily interruptions caused by his attendance 
at the parliament-house, and convivial meetings, 
among which might be reckoned the dinner and 
evening parties of the late witty and pleasant 
Duchess of Gordon ; where he was occasionally, 
though with great reluctance, prevailed on to 
read aloud some portions of his new poem. But 
I think Scott had by this time adopted his 
favourite plan of early-rising, by which he ac- 
quired a command of leisure unknown to others; 
and he had the advantages of excellent health, 
with a most exuberant flow of spirits. 

It is superfluous to observe, that the effect of 
this poem on the public mind was almost ma- 
gical. To a well-constructed plot is added the 
charm of a constant succession of most vivid and 
highly finished pictures, to which none could 
refuse the praise of strength and originality. 
In short, it has the character of one of his best 



138 EDITION OF DRYDEN, 

prose romances, worked up into powerful and 
harmonious verse; the sort of composition in 
which, above all, he was most qualified to excel. 
Sir Walter had now become perfectly aware of 
his own strength. With a degree of patience 
and quietude, which are seldom combined with 
much energy, he could get through an incredible 
extent of literary labour, and he had secured 
very high reputation. Hence many new paths 
were opened to him. He could gain both fame 
and profit by mere editorship, by criticism, anti- 
quarianism, biography, and history ; for it was 
obvious that, whatever he chose to produce in 
these various departments, would be eagerly 
grasped at, and prove a source of emolument. 
At the suggestion of Constable, therefore, he 
carefully edited the works of Dryden, in eighteen 
volumes octavo, which appeared not long after 
the publication of " Marmion." In this pro- 
duction he aimed, not without success, at ren- 
dering the memoirs of Dryden a history of 
English literature and taste during the period 
of that poet's life; and the annotations on his 
works include numberless remarks and illustra- 
tions, which could not be incorporated in the 
biography. The command which he possessed 
over the world of old books, the good use he 
had made of his accumulating stores, and the 
extent of his researches, now became apparent. 



AND VARIOUS OTHER TASKS. 139 

To most people, the wading through such a mass 
of materials as the works of Dryden present, 
and enriching the pages with criticism and me- 
moranda, would have supplied labour for years ; 
but to Scott, at this period of life, it was only 
a pleasant diversion from employments which 
required more concentrated application of his 
faculties. 

As I have said, Sir Walter Scott had no great 
reason to be partial to the house of Constable 
as a publisher; and, from the ridiculous degree 
to which party-spirit was then carried, it might 
be unpleasant to find himself there surrounded 
by the numerous clique of Edinburgh Whigs. 
Consequently, after he had edited, along with 
the late Mr. Arthur Clifford, a collection of 
" Sir Ralph Sadler's State Papers," in two large 
quartos, and the " Somers's Tracts," in six 
ponderous volumes, he readily listened to plans 
of the late Mr. John Ballantyne, for establishing 
a new bookselling company at Edinburgh, on 
principles which afforded better prospects to 
authors than had yet existed in North Britain. 
The Kelso press of Mr. James Ballantyne had 
been already moved to the metropolis, and was 
flourishing, though not without such aid from 
Scott as rendered him virtually a partner, and led 
indirectly and ultimately to those bill transactions 
with Constable which turned out so destructive. 



140 JOHN BALLANTYNE AND CO. 

Under the high auspices of Scott, it proved 
an easy matter, privately, and with the aid of 
a few friends, to organise the scheme of the new 
bookselling company, with which several literary 
gentlemen were connected as partisans and quasi 
shareholders. After its establishment, the author 
of " Marmion," greatly to the annoyance of Mr. 
Constable, almost wholly withdrew himself from 
the dingy premises of the High Street, and di- 
rected his steps to the cheerful and handsome 
drawing-room of Mr. John Ballantyne, in the 
new town, where there was good store of his 
favourite black-letter volumes, and which formed 
a convenient resting-place in his daily journeys 
to and from the parliament-house. 



LADY OF THE LAKE. 141 



CHAPTER II. 

LADY OF THE LAKE HIGHLAND SCENERY— EARLY RISING- 
WALLACE PECUNIARY EMOLUMENT CALLANDER AND 

LOCH KATRINE. 

In order to do something effectual for the new 
firm of Ballantyne and Co., Scott rapidly com- 
pleted the " Lady of the Lake ;" to which pro- 
duction, as he has himself explained, he was led 
by the deep impressions which the beautiful 
scenery of the Perthshire highlands had left on 
his remembrance. Indeed, so vivid were his 
conceptions of inanimate nature, that I believe 
every one of his novels, as well as poems, took 
its rise partly in this way. Even when he laid 
the scene in a foreign country which he had 
never visited, he would draw in his " mind's 
eye" the portrait of mountains, woods, trees, 
houses, and gardens, which he had actually 
beheld. The following passage from his brief 
autobiography is eminently characteristic : 

" I took uncommon pains to verify the ac- 
curacy of the local circumstances of this story. 
I recollect, in particular, that, to ascertain 
whether I were telling a probable tale, I went 



142 HIGHLAND SCENERY. 

into Perthshire, to see whether King James 
could actually have ridden from the banks of 
Loch Vennachar to Stirling Castle within the 
time supposed in the poem, and had the pleasure 
to satisfy myself that it was quite possible." 

If the period of his residence at Lasswade 
was the happiest of his life, I believe that of 
the composition of the " Lady of the Lake" was 
incomparably the best era in the annals of his 
mind as to poetical power. He then ruled as 
if with the full sway of a magician over a literary 
world, which one might almost say he had 
created ; for he had made people judges of 
poetry who had never even dreamed of it be- 
fore, and inspired those with a love of books 
who, heretofore, were amply contented with a 
weekly newspaper. Till then, the wild hills and 
lakes of Menteith, Glenfinlas, and the Trossac, 
were scarcely known by name to any one who 
had not visited the district ; but now, the mere 
distant pinnacle of any mountain commemorated 
in the poem was hailed as an object of interest. 
I shall never forget the enthusiastic regard with 

which the young and beautiful L S 

contemplated the cliffs of Benvoirlich, seen for 
the first time about twenty miles distant, as she 
repeated, — 

" With hark and whoop, and wild halloo, 
No rest Benvoirlich's echoes knew." 



EARLY RISING — WALLACE. 148 

Thus, within the districts of Menteith and Stir- 
ling, the poet had also given a new character to 
the material world ; and, such is the force of 
genius, that his own feelings, instead of remain- 
ing peculiar, became general. 

Meanwhile, his health and spirits continued 
unbroken, and seemingly unconquerable. Like 
the once renowned Lopez de Vega (to whom, 
in other respects, he has occasionally been 
compared), he had now formed the regular 
habit of composing all his works early in the 
morning, and before breakfast; in regard to 
which he used to say, that he owed much to 
the " exemplary character and admonitions of 
his friend Wallace," a little wiry-haired and ill- 
favoured terrier, who was at this time his con- 
stant companion and prime favourite. I believe 
the adoption of such active habits is a sort of 
criterion by which it may be judged who is or 
is not fitted to succeed in the world. Instead 
of being a means to prolong life, it seems to me 
only a proof of health and spirits. No one will 
rise very early who does not feel a disposition 
to work or exercise, which renders much rest 
unnecessary. 

However, this may be erroneous, and there 
may be very different reasons. I have, indeed, 
frequently heard Sir Walter observe, that the 
system of commencing his employments at so 



144 PECUNIARY EMOLUMENT. 

early an hour, was at first exceedingly disagree- 
able, and he persisted in it from a conviction 
that it might become habitual, and that the 
contrary plan of night-vigils was exceedingly 
injurious. As no one ever more decidedly ex- 
emplified the chivalrous characteristic of self- 
denial than the author of " Waverley," possibly, 
therefore, this practice was like his other at- 
tainments, won by that resolute and unflinching 
perseverance on principles of duty which I have 
already commemorated. His attendance in court, 
and subsequent convivial meetings, would other- 
wise have cut up the entire day. But, in- 
variably, he had three hours' work before going 
to the parliament-house ; and this regularly con- 
tinued, he used to maintain, was enough for the 
pursuits of authorship. 

The copyright of the " Lady of the Lake " was 
purchased by Messrs. Ballantyne and Co. for 
four thousand pounds ; though, whether the 
amount was handed over in cash to the author 
by the house in which he was himself virtually 
a partner, or carried to his credit, is uncertain. 
The circulation of this poem, however, was so 
extraordinary, so completely unprecedented, that 
it must have been a most profitable speculation 
to all parties. Of " Marmion," according to 
Sir Walter Scott's own account, the sale in six- 
teen years, was thirty-six thousand copies ; which, 



CALLANDER AND LOCH KATRINE. 145 

allowing amply for the expense of paper, print- 
ing, and advertising, must obviously have been 
a source of great profit to Mr. Constable as 
proprietor, and well justified his payment of 
1000/. in hard cash for the copyright. It is 
probable that the " Lady of the Lake," during 
the first three years after publication, and 
before the house of John Ballantyne and Co. 
began to totter, circulated and sold to three 
times the amount of " Marmion" within an 
equal period. Whatever fame he had formerly 
gained as a poet, was quite outshone by this 
production. Amongst other proofs of the in- 
terest it excited, may be mentioned the mul- 
titude of visitors of all ranks, classes, and 
denominations, even from the most distant 
regions of the world, who flocked to the hitherto 
neglected and rarely trodden district of Loch 
Katrine, for the sole purpose of beholding the 
actual scenes which were so vividly described 
by the " Minstrel." Till then the village of 
Callander (near Loch Katrine,) had been so 
little frequented, that the descriptions of miser- 
able inns, bad roads, and every species of dis- 
comfort, which have been often drawn from 
imagination, might there be found realised. 
The principles of the clan Maclarty (see Mrs. 
Hamilton's " Cottagers of Glenburnie,") were 
developed in their fullest perfection. Nor were 

L 



146 CALLANDER AND LOCH KATRINE. 

changes for the better easily to be effected in 
a district where nothing goes on so smoothly 
as the consumption of whisky. By degrees, 
however, the road to Loch Katrine was im- 
proved; and, at the barbarous (though large) 
inn, where, in the midst of forests full of game, 
and lakes teeming with fish, it was scarce pos- 
sible to obtain even the materials for breakfast, 
there arrived daily a succession of brilliant equi- 
pages, so that one could contemplate the beau 
monde almost as well at the remote village of 
Callander, as at Brighton, Bath, or Cheltenham. 



PURCHASE OF ABBOTSFORD. 



147 



CHAPTER III. 

PURCHASE OF ABBOTSFORD DIALOGUE WHEN HE FIRST 

SURVEYED THE PROPERTY EDINBURGH ANNUAL RE- 

GISTER PATIENT INDUSTRY INFERNO OF ALTESIDORA— 

DINGER PARTY LUDICROUS ANECDOTE. 

Not long after the publication of the " Lady of 
the Lake," Scott, who had all his life a partiality 
for landscape gardening, and a wish to possess 
some landed property in his own right, came, 
during his rambles along the banks of the Tweed, 
to a spot which was then for sale, and of which 
the purchase-money was but a small sum. It 
was a poor and neglected farm of no great 
extent ; but having this advantage, that the 
adjoining country being, in a great measure, 
wild, and free from inclosures, he might wander 
a long way before being reminded by any fence 
or cultivated field, that he had gone beyond the 
bounds of his own (intended) domain. The 
only house was a half-ruinous cottage, rendered 
more gloomy of aspect by a row of scattered 
and stunted Scotch firs, the most unpoetic and 
unpicturesque of trees. The only redeeming 
traits in the landscape, were the meanderings 



148 DIALOGUE WHEN HE FIRST 

of the bright and bold Tweed, and the diversity 
of hill and dale, so well suited for ornamental 
planting. 

At one of his earliest visits to Abbotsford, 
(know T n at that time by the rather unprepossessing 
name of " Clarty Holes"), Scott was accom- 
panied by a sagacious friend, who noticed the ex- 
treme sterility of the soil, which would yield no 
returns by cropping. 

" Cropping, indeed ! " he answered. " You 
take it for granted, then, that I came here with 
the intention of growing rich as a gentleman 
farmer ? No, truly ; I leave the scientific manu- 
facture of rich compost to Dr. Coventry and 
Lord Meadowbank. But the main question is, 
what sort of crops you wish to raise ? I should, 
in the first place, think of rearing plenty of 
wood for ornament and shelter ; and we must live 
as the knights did of old, only without so much 
fighting. Depend on it we shall grow enough 
of oats and wheat to feed ourselves and horses. 
Fish and game we shall have in abundance ; and 
if sheep and kine should be wanting, which is 
not likely, we must make a raid into Traquair, 
and drive away from your rich pastures as much 
of the stock as we think needful. 

" But, in sober earnest," he continued, " this 
farm-cottage might do very well to live in. It 
is, at all events, the beginning of a mansion, 



SURVEYED THE PROPERTY. 149 

and I could get help in that department from 
William Stewart Rose. Though not yet pos- 
sessed of Aladdin's lamp, we could very soon 
run up a " hurricane house," affording quite as 
much accommodation as we ourselves require, 
besides two or three pigeon-holes for friends to 
sleep in when they come to visit us. Here, if 
I should ever become rich, is the spot whereon 
I would build my castle. Yonder, in the level 
ground to the left, I would have my garden; 
and there should be a sweeping carriage-drive 
down the slope, opening from the cart-road on 
the hill-side. The ground is poor, you say ; 
but it is very good for the growth of wood. I 
would plant a large proportion of mountain -ash, 
Scotch firs, and larch, for the sake of their 
rapid growth, near the castle ; but on the hills, 
I would prefer oak, birch, hazel, and other trees, 
of which the bark is suitable for the tanner ; 
so that every fifteen or twenty years, those who 
come after me might have a profitable fall of 
copsewood." 

In this manner he ran on, delighting his im- 
agination with ideas which were amply and ac- 
curately realised. The purchase was completed 
for about five thousand pounds, I believe, and 
afforded far more satisfaction to Scott than any 
acquisition he had before made. I remember 
well the first sketch of ornamental improvement 



150 EDINBURGH ANNUAL REGISTER. 

at Abbotsford in his own hand ; — a rare speci- 
men, for he was no draughtsman. It was only 
a design for a kind of rustic piazza, the sup- 
porters being of trees with the bark on, and 
intended as a front to the original old cottage, 
after it had been stretched, as he termed it, into 
some additional rooms, and rendered merely 
habitable for the family. The comparison of 
Abbotsford House as it now exists to a " ro- 
mance in stone and lime," is very good, for there 
are many points of analogy. He found only a 
mere remnant of old materials to work upon, in 
which respect the original cottage might fan- 
tastically be likened to the fragment of an old 
ballad or popular tradition, and all around was 
a dreary waste, which his taste and imagination 
gradually adorned and brightened. Moreover, 
having no fixed plan at the outset, he proceeded 
exactly as in his written compositions, falling into 
seemingly inextricable perplexities and incon- 
gruities, out of which his genius at last produced 
an interesting and even magnificent whole. 

About this period his health and spirits were 
so good, that he was ready for almost any 
undertaking in literature ; and, I believe, ful- 
filled many tasks which have not been included 
in his acknowledged works. I might instance 
the historical part of the " Edinburgh Annual 
Register," at least one year of which was entirely 



PATIENT INDUSTRY. 151 

supplied by him. He owned to me at the time, 
that this was a most irksome trial of patience, 
and complained of the heavy pages, meaning 
the extent of writing required to fill double 
columns; though this was in truth nothing to 
the labours which he cheerfully underwent in 
latter years, until his strength became utterly 
exhausted. I have often thought of his ex- 
pressions one afternoon, when, according to his 
own account, "jaded and perplexed," he was 
at work on the " Register." " Jack Leyden's 
theory, that fatigue is a mere mental illusion," 
said he, " would be vastly good, were it not 
that, like other promising theories, it breaks 
down in practice. But there is only one rule 
in such cases, merely, not to let the ink dry in 
your pen till the task is done. ' Gutta cavit 
lapidem, non vi, sed scepe cadendo,' says the 
school copy-book ; and on this principle a scrib- 
bler sometimes becomes agreeably surprised at 
the extent of tiresome and rugged road that he 
has got over." 

In the belles lettres department of this work 
appeared, under the title " Inferno of Altesi- 
dora," his first anonymous jeu d 'esprit, which 
formed a sort of rehearsal of the amusing mysti- 
fication so long kept up with regard to the 
Waverley novels. The devils of the " Inferno" 
play at battledore, and take books for shuttle- 



152 INFERNO OF ALTESIDORA. 

cocks, which fly about in fragments, some of 
which are collected, and exhibit imitations of 
the best living poets of the day. Of the author 
of " Marmion," it might be said (Hibemice), 
" none but himself could be his parallel;" for, 
at one glance, his friends perceived the extreme 
improbability that any one else could have written 
the stanzas entitled the " Vision" (afterwards 
" Bridal) of Triermain." However, he, of 
course, stoutly disowned them, and seemed 
greatly amused by the conjectures that were 
started as to who really was the author. Ac- 
cording to his own avowed opinion, the article 
must have been contributed either by his face- 
tious publisher, John Ballantyne, who wrote as 
well as criticised ; or by Mr. Terry, the actor ; 
while these gentlemen declared their inability 
to write any thing half so good; but knowing 
Scott's wish to remain incognito, said it was 
most probably the work of Mr. Marriott, or 
Mr. William Erskine. 

This " Inferno," I think, was published in 
1811, when John Ballantyne and Co. had a 
large stock in trade, and were looked on as a 
flourishing house, with ample capital. After the 
highly flattering reception of the " Lady of the 
Lake," Sir Walter dined now and then with his 
friendly publisher, who used to keep, stored up 
for the occasion, some particularly rare and 



DINNER PARTY. 153 

curious volumes, which, he was convinced, the 
" Minstrel" had never seen before, and pro- 
duce them in the drawing-room, as the best 
prelude to the day's entertainment. But, as 
already observed, such acquisitions were not 
valued by Scott for their rarity alone, but be- 
cause they always excited in his mind a train 
of antiquarian and historical associations, by 
which some old subject might be placed in a 
light entirely new. In this way it happened that 
a rare editio princeps of one of King James the 
First's numerous productions suggested the com- 
pilation of a work that afterwards appeared in 
two volumes octavo, respecting the private life, 
odd habits, and amusements of this eccentric 
monarch. It was very entertaining, and has 
now, I suppose, become somewhat rare in its 
turn. 

On no occasion did Sir Walter appear in 
greater spirits than at these quiet and uncere- 
monious parties in South Hanover Street. He 
well knew that the high honour of his presence 
was duly and thankfully appreciated. He was 
surrounded by friends and admirers; and the 
whole company met with the unanimous purpose 
of shaking off the cares of life, and to be merry. 
If any occurrence ever excited a sarcastic pro- 
pensity in Scott's mind, it was, perhaps, when 
some egotistical pedant or coxcomb sedulously 



154 DINNER PA.RTY. 

aimed at being witty, sententious, or dictatorial in 
conversation. His own demeanour and discourse 
were always admirably characterised by what 
the French call abandon, tempered, of course, 
by invariable good sense and good tact. Pro- 
perly speaking, he had neither aim nor object, 
for the mirth and good -humour came unsought- 
for and spontaneous. At such parties he would 
sometimes parade in full dress, with white silk 
stockings, a scarlet silk under-waistcoat, and 
uniform coat of the Border Club, for Mrs. Bal- 
lantyne presided at the dinner-table. Among 
the guests appeared occasionally, the late John 
Kemble, Mr. Henry Mackenzie, Sir Brooke 
Boothby, Lord Kinnedder, and divers members 
of the theatrical and musical world. From these 
days not a line of the conversation has dwelt 
on my recollection, except a short anecdote, 
which, as usual, derived its effect more from the 
quaint manner of the narrator, than any intrinsic 
merit. 

Be it remembered, then, that the hatred and 
jealousy which formerly existed in full force 
betwixt the Scotch and English, are scarcely 
extirpated on the borders even at the present 
day ; and that the last great battle of Flodden, 
wherein the Scotch were so signally defeated, 
and their king lost his life, is never forgotten 
or forgiven by the patriots north of the Tweed. 



LUDICROUS ANECDOTE. 155 

During an excursion into Cumberland it hap- 
pened, at a small country town, that Scott sud- 
denly required medical advice for one of his 
servants, and, on inquiring if there was any 
doctor at the place, was told that there were 
two — one long established, and the other a new- 
comer. The latter gentleman, being luckily 
found at home, soon made his appearance, — a 
grave, sagacious - looking personage, attired in 
black, with a shovel hat — in whom, to his utter 
astonishment, Sir Walter recognised a Scotch 
blacksmith, who had formerly practised, with 
tolerable success, as a veterinary operator in the 
neighbourhood of AshestieL 

" How, in all the world ! " exclaimed he, 
" can it be possible that this is John Lundie ? " 

" In troth is it, your honour — just a that 's 
for him ! " 

"Well, but let us hear: you were & horse- 
doctor before; now, it seems, you are a man- 
doctor : how do you get on ? " 

" Ow, just extraordinar'weel: for, your honour 
maun ken, my practice is vera sure and orthodox. 
I depend entirely upon twa simples" 

" And what may their names be ? Perhaps 
it is a secret ? " 

" I'll tell your honour," in a low tone ; " my 
twa simples are just Laudamy and Calamy ! " 

" Simples with a vengeance ! " replied Scott. 



156 LUDICROUS ANECDOTE. 

" But, John, do you never happen to kill any of 
your patients ? " 

" Kill ? Ow ay, may be sae ! Whiles they 
die, and whiles no ; but its the will o' Providence. 
Ony how, your honour, it wad be lang before it 
makes up for Flodden ! " 

This, however trifling, may be considered a 
fair specimen of those quaint and concise anec- 
dotes that Sir Walter often introduced in con- 
versation, and in regard to which one peculiarity 
was, that scarce any of his acquaintance ever 
heard him repeat the same story twice over; 
even if one tried to elicit a repetition, some 
other odd illustration usually came in place of 
the anecdote expected. It is said that a hu- 
mourist should not laugh at his own jokes ; but, 
surely, when his audience laugh he may be per- 
mitted to join them convivially ; and this Sir 
Walter failed not to do. Many a time, betwixt 
nine and ten in the morning, I have heard the 
oaken roof of the Outer House ring to his 
joyous and hearty laugh, as he walked about 
with his friends, for pastime, till the judges made 
their appearance. 



DON RODERICK. 157 



CHAPTER IV. 

don roderick poetical criticism, and remarks on 

the necessity of labour — dinner party miss 

seward's letters — sir brooke boothby — poetical 
aspirants*— lord hermand mr. m. laing. 

His next poem was the " Vision of Don 
Roderick," which appeard in June 1811, and 
on which he bestowed more than usual pains. 
The profits went entirely to some charitable and 
public purpose, which I have forgotten. But I re- 
member, as well as it had been yesterday, meet- 
ing Sir Walter at the house of John Ballantyne 
and Co., in the month of May that year, when 
he proposed that I should walk home with him 
to dinner, and act the part of his " Old Woman," 
as he intended to read aloud the beginning of a 
" new ditty," which he had on the anvil, and I 
" must tell him truly whether it sounded like 
sense or nonsense." For my opinion it is not 
likely that he could care much, but I happened 
to be then in bad health, and his object was to 
afford diversion and encouragement to an invalid. 
He was, indeed, always ready to share his own 
high spirits, his stores of information, his books, 



158 POETICAL CRITICISM, &C. 

and his purse, with those who required assist- 
ance ; of which last I have sometimes been an 
accidental witness, in instances where his princely 
generosity never came to the knowledge of any 
fourth party, for, on such occasions, he earnestly 
shunned observation or notoriety. 

Scott had just returned from Ashestiel, and 
brought with him, as usual, a renewed stock of 
health and spirits, being much delighted with the 
improvements commenced at his new territory 
of Abbotsford. Especially, too, he rejoiced, for 
the moment, at the acquisition of some black- 
letter books obtained for him by Mr. Ballantyne ; 
of which one was the editio princeps of Lady 
Juliana Berners on " The Noble Art of Hunt- 
ing," and others were on witchcraft. These he 
carried home with him, stuffing some of the 
volumes into his pockets, which he wore of a 
large size on purpose for books, and holding up 
the others, as if triumphantly, in his left hand 
as we moved along. I wished to go home to 
dress. " If you will go home," said he, " be it 
so ; though we had much better steer at once 
for Castle Street, where dinner waits — an object 
of some consideration to one who breakfasts 
before nine in the morning. As for dressing 
when we are quite alone, it is out of the ques- 
tion ; life is not long enough for such fiddle 
faddle. Suppose we took a coach, drove down 



POETICAL CRITICISM, &C. 159 

to Holyrood, and got the loan of Darnley's boots 
for the occasion ; perhaps this might render you, 
if possible, more welcome in Mrs. Scott's esti- 
mation, but, be assured, the silk stockings are of 
no consequence : so, come along ! " 

I produced a great roll of paper, scribbled 
over with a plan for a narrative poem, having 
wisely and modestly chosen Robert Bruce for 
my hero ; and this he had the condescension to 
peruse in the library before dinner, observing 
that " it displayed a great deal of fancy." Fan- 
tastic enough it certainly was, in all conscience. 
However, he strenuously (perhaps ironically) 
advised its completion, on condition that I 
should not care a rush what people thought of 
the verses, but work for the sole pleasure of 
working. 

" An author," said he, " never can be pro- 
perly abstracted from outward life, or absorbed 
in his subject, if he racks his brains with notions 
as to what people will say of him ; as on this 
abstraction depends the great pleasure of writing. 
Rely on it, a great share of the ill health and 
low spirits which exist in the world, is neither 
more nor less than one inevitable consequence 
of having nothing else to do. Labour is 
absolutely the charter by which we hold exist- 
ence ; and be it in picking straws or legislating 



160 POETICAL CRITICISM, &C. 

for empires, we must all work, or die of ennui.* 
Look at the rich and powerful, who never once 
thought of composing even an ode or sonnet, 
nor could achieve such an exploit if their lives 
depended on it, they toil as hard at fishing, shoot- 
ing, and fox-hunting, as any of their own labourers 
in breaking stones or trenching the ground ; and 
they must do this as the indispensable means to 
obtain sound sleep and avoid blue devils. Be 
assured, that the same necessity for labour is no 
less imposed on such individuals as by nature 
and education have the power of using their 
higher and intellectual instead of their mere 
corporeal faculties." 

On these chance words it may be worth while 
to pause, as they indicate a leading principle in 
Sir Walter's mind. And in what manner can we 
mark the difference of characters in this world 
better than by putting the question, whether 
their predominant enjoyments depend on activity 
or passiveness, in obedience to animal instinct or 
in resisting it ? It was a leading characteristic 
of Scott, that he unaffectedly placed his best 
enjoyments in the fulfilment of laborious tasks, 



* The drift of his remarks, at this meeting, being pre- 
cisely the same with that of a letter dated 1812, I have in- 
troduced here a few words extracted from it. 



DINNER PARTY. 161 

from which even a monk or anchorite of the 
Middle Ages, although inured to penance, would 
almost have shrunk in dismay : and on this prin- 
ciple, as well as in other respects, he realised 
Lavater's definition of genius, namely, the "power 
of doing that which no one else has done." 

" Now, in this intended poem," he continued, 
" you have, I assure you, a great advantage over 
me : I have tried, with very indifferent success, 
to make out a ground plan and elevation for a 
house at Abbotsford, but never in my life could 
prepare the plot of a story before hand. One 
page — or, I should say, one line — suggests 
another; and on coming to a stand -still, as it 
occasionally happens — for we are all liable to 
ebbs and flows — I very coolly lay it aside and 
take to something else, till, with the next change 
of the moon, there begins a new tide of thought." 

This day we had no company at dinner, ex- 
cept Mr. Macdonald Buchanan, and Mr. Weber. 
The former was, I think, scarcely tinged by 
literature ; he was a colleague of Sir Walter's as 
clerk of Session, and in no way remarkable, 
except for his good-humoured placid counte- 
nance, and pleasant conviviality. The immense 
importance which, at that time, I attached to 
any question of literature or criticism, contrasted 
with Mr. Buchanan's perfect nonchalance on 
the same points, seemed to afford Scott con- 



162 MISS seward's letters. 

siderable amusement. By some chance, our 
conservation turned, during dinner, on the poets 
and poetesses of the Delia Cruscan School, with 
whose absurdities and affectation he was exceed- 
ingly diverted. At the pedantic style of Miss 
Seward's letters he laughed so heartily, that 
Mrs. Scott, in a playful tone of reproach, put 
him in mind of the very kind reception they had 
met with from the poetess of Lichfield, and the 
beautiful epitaph he had written for her monu- 
ment. 

" Yes, indeed," he answered, " I remember all 
this, and a great deal more. The good lady, 
who is now at rest, did me the unmerited honour 
to appoint me her literary executor, and I wrote 
a passable introduction, extolling her works, her 
beauty, amiability, and so forth ; nor would I 
for a moment laugh, if I thought there was any 
chance that she could hear me or be vexed 
about it. But the style of her prose letters, 
and even her daily conversation, was so extrava- 
gantly stilted, that nothing can be conceived 
more ludicrous, unless it were the style of my 
own letters, which I felt in duty bound to send 
in reply. Of course, I tried as well as I could to 
respond in similar language, though haud passi- 
bus equis ; and my productions were such un- 
paralleled specimens of rigmarole, that it is well 
they also have not come to light." 



SIR BROOKE BOOTHBY. 163 

Mr. Weber alluded to Sir Brooke Boothby, 
who then resided at Edinburgh, as a member of 
the Delia Cruscan College. 

" No, no, mein werther herr" answered Scott, 
" do not include Sir Brooke among them ; what 
he has published in the poetical department is 
of a very different character, distinguished rather 
by simplicity and good taste. Had not Sir 
Brooke, in his younger years, been too much of a 
fine gentleman to give himself much trouble about 
book-making, he might, probably, have risen to 
considerable eminence as an author. By the by, 
he has given us some fragments for the ' Annual 
Register,' which, though trifles, are such as no 
ordinary man could have written." 

Scott was in the best spirits, and inclined to 
speak only on subjects which produced merri- 
ment, in which his good-natured friend, Buchanan, 
was always ready to join ; though he, perhaps, did 
not comprehend much of the literary matters 
under discussion. During dinner, there was an 
ample fund for conversation afforded, by the 
numberless applications made by aspirants from 
all quarters for opinions of their works, and as- 
sistance in their efforts to ascend Parnassus. 
(Their names, however, he of course suppressed.) 
He was diverted alike by the overweening con- 
fidence which most of them betrayed, and the 
horrors of despondency to which others were 



164 POETICAL ASPIRANTS. 

subjected, on discovering that they absolutely 
could not write verses even to satisfy themselves, 
far less others. 

" And yet these melancholy, desponding gen- 
tlemen," said he, " still whine, and daudle, and 
hanker after the Muse, as they call her, and still 
cling to some lingering hope that I can help 
them. Only this morning I had a letter from 
a youth who, most certainly, will commit sui- 
cide, or (which is more probable,) find his way 
into a mad-house, unless John Ballantyne con- 
sents to throw away money in printing his 
verses ; and though this might satisfy him for 
a time, yet afterwards he would grow worse. In 
truth, I could never understand how this idle trade 
of rhyming comes to be such a cause of excite- 
ment among its votaries. Surely it is a kind of 
disease requiring medical treatment, — something 
more formidable than the ordinary cacoethes scri- 
bendi ; and the poetic malady ought to be in- 
cluded in the next edition of ' Buchan's Domestic 
Medicine.' " 

By some chance the conversation turned on 
instances of people who are not only incapable 
of receiving poetic impressions themselves, but 
over whom the best poetry seems to have no 
influence. " After all," observed our host, " the 
propensity may be analogous to a musical ear. 
We all know that there are people who hear very 



LORD HERMAND MR. LAING. 165 

well, and yet could make no sort of distinctive 
preference betwixt the notes of * Roslin Castle' 
and ' Jenny Nettles ! ' Lord Hermand, it is said, 
began resolutely to peruse the ' Lady of the 
Lake ; ' and when he got to the second line, he 
exclaimed, < Monaris rill ? I never heard of this 
rivulet before ! ' He then rose to search for it 
in his largest map, sought a long while in vain, 
but never recurred to the minstrelsy. And 
this," he continued, " reminds me of our worthy 
friend, Malcolm Laing, who, with great acquire- 
ments and power of research, affords a singular 
instance of a mind in which the leading pro- 
pensity is to find fault and detect blunders. I 
hardly know how it would be possible to write 
any thing in the shape of poetry such as to 
obtain his approbation. One might almost im- 
agine him reading aloud some fine passage in 
the ' Paradise Lost,' which, by his mode of 
enunciation, would actually change to prose ; 
then turning angrily round, and, in his austere, 
sharp manner, demanding, — * do you call this 
paietry ?'" 



166 LORD BYRON. 



CHAPTER V. 

LORD BYRON WORDSWORTH MATUR1N — NOVEL-READING 

—DON RODERICK — GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS SCENE IN 

THE LIBRARY— WALLACE AGAIN. 

I remember well how correct Scott's impres- 
sions were of such beginners in the literary 
world as had not then acquired any fixed cha- 
racter. Of Lord Byron he had from the first 
a favourable impression ; therefore, by no means 
agreed with the critique of the " Hours of Idle- 
ness" in the " Edinburgh Review." The at- 
tack on himself in Lord Byron's Satire, which 
was now published, he treated as he did all such 
attacks, with the most perfect good-humour, 
seeming unaffectedly amused by it. Of this 
volume, at its appearance, he said, " there can- 
not be a doubt that Lord Byron has considerable 
power ; how he may use it, or whether he will 
write any more, it is impossible to guess. Facit 
indignatio versus, — but, spleen and gall are dis- 
astrous materials to work with for any length 
of time." Of Wordsworth he always spoke fa- 
vourably, insisting that he was a true poet, but 
predicting that it would be long ere they ob- 



WORDSWORTH. 167 

tained the praise which they merited from the 
public. 

" There is nothing," he observed, " which 
seems to please readers now-a-days so well as 
a narrative, but they will not be contented with 
the kind of story which Wordsworth would tell 
them. They must have characters of all de- 
scriptions in the same plot after the dramatic 
fashion ; and, moreover, they insist on a great 
share of love and murder, cutting and slashing, 
mystification and suspense. In that respect I 
am very fortunate, never knowing how I am 
to get to the end of my tale ; so it is, therefore, 
no wonder if readers afterwards partake of the 
same perplexity. This reminds me (though it 
is apropos des hottest) of what happened with 
Coleridge one evening, after he had taken a 
double dose of opium. He had, as usual, talked 
a long time, and, on coming to a full stop, asked 
one of his admirers whether he had made him- 
self understood ? < Perfectly,' said this disciple ; 
' I comprehend you in the clearest manner ! ' 
' Then you must be a far deeper philosopher 
than I am,' said the poet, < for I have not myself 
understood one sentence that I have uttered for 
the last half hour ! " 

Of Maturin, who was then struggling with 
worldly difficulties, Sir Walter always expressed 
a favourable, though qualified opinion ; and that 



168 MATURIN NOVEL-READING. 

he considered him deserving of encouragement, 
was amply proved by the pecuniary aid which 
he most kindly rendered. 

" It is too true," he observed, " that common 
sense is a wofully uncommon quality among 
poets ; yet it would be a vile heresy to maintain 
that this must be, or ought to be the case. In 
Maturin's writings there is always great power, 
so that it becomes the more provoking when, 
with this advantage, he fails of producing the 
desired effect. Far less energy than is displayed 
in " Montorio," if possessed by a more discreet 
and experienced workman, would have made a 
better book. I have been trying to drill him 
with good advice as well as I can, and hope he 
will improve." 

It is, perhaps, worth noticing, that if Scott, 
for his amusement, borrowed a second-rate novel, 
or other work of imagination (for he found 
leisure to read in those days), he never failed 
to discover the merits, if it had any, and gener- 
ally returned the volumes with a note of thanks, 
followed up by suggestions what might have 
been made of the story with better management. 
Of this I remember two instances. One re- 
garded a novel in three volumes, entitled " For- 
man," to the best of my recollection, very 
stupid; but he read it quite through, and per- 
ceived that the materials, which were partly 



DON RODERICK. 169 

historical, had capability. Another was " Sars- 
field," by Mr. Gamble, which he thought an 
original and lively sketch, but so disfigured by 
bad taste, that it was a pity some one did not 
write it over again. 

After dinner, when Mrs. Scott, whom he usual- 
ly styled " Mamma," had retired, and a bottle 
of "Marmion"* was placed on the table, he 
went to the library, and brought a manuscript 
containing nearly half the poem of " Don 
Roderick;" which portion, notwithstanding the 
difficulties of the Spenserian stanza, had been 
composed in about a week. Never did any 
author read his own productions with less effect 
than Scott. He seemed actually to proceed on 
the principle of trying, by his monotonous tone, 
whether there was any thing essentially good 
in the verses which would excite interest without 
any emphasis of delivery. Of course, the pre- 
sent audience were decided in their approbation ; 
but I was especially rejoiced, because " Don 
Roderick" was in a new style, and would esta- 
blish his fame in defiance of those cavillers who 
had asserted that he could not write otherwise 
than in the shape of a ballad, or without a tale 
of mystery to lead him on. 

* Claret presented to him by Constable and Co. on the 
publication of " Marmion." 



170 GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS. 

" As to the fame to be derived from it," said 
he, " I care very little. The best result would 
be, the realisation of some hard cash for the 
poor people who are to be benefited by the sale. 
I suspect, however, that the " Don" will not 
be over popular ; but I have derived amusement 
from writing this ditty merely because it is in 
a kind of measure that I had not tried before, 
and it was pleasant to find the Spenserian 
stanza much more easy of execution than I 
had anticipated." 

His dinner-hour being so early as half past 
four, there was ample time for conversation ; 
and, for a few minutes, I remember, it turned 
on ghosts and apparitions. 

" The most awkward circumstance about ivell- 
authenticated hobgoblins," said he, " is, that 
they, for the most part, come and disappear 
without any intelligible object or purpose, ex- 
cept to frighten people ; which, with all due 
deference, seems rather foolish ! Very many 
persons have either seen a ghost, or something 
like one, and I am myself among the number ; but 
my story is not a jot better than the others I 
have heard, which, for the most part, were very 
inept. The good stories are sadly devoid of 
evidence ; the stupid ones only are authentic. 

" There is a particular turning of the high 
road through the forest near Ashestiel, at a place 



GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS. 171 

which affords no possible means of concealment ; 
the grass is smooth, and always eaten bare by 
the sheep ; there is no heather, nor underwood, 
nor cavern, in which any mortal being could 
conceal himself. Towards this very spot I was 
advancing one evening on horseback — please to 
observe it was before dinner, and not long after 
sunset, so that I ran no risk either of seeing 
double, or wanting sufficient light for my ob- 
servations. Before me, at the distance of about 
a quarter of a mile, there stood a human figure, 
sharply enough defined by the twilight. I ad- 
vanced ; it stalked about with a long staff in its 
hand, held like a wand of office, but only went 
to and fro, keeping at the same corner, till, as I 
came within a few yards, my friend all in an 
instant vanished. I was so struck with his 
eccentric conduct, that, although Mrs. Scott was 
then in delicate health, and I was anxious to 
get home to a late dinner, I could not help 
stopping to examine the ground all about, but 
in vain ; he had either dissolved into air, or 
sunk into the earth, where I well knew there 
was no coal-pit to receive him. Had he lain 
down on the green sward, the colour of his 
drapery, which was dusky brown, would have 
betrayed him at once, so that there was no prac- 
ticable solution of the mystery. 

(i I rode on, and had not advanced above fifty 



172 GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS. 

yards, when, on looking back, my friend was 
there again, and even more clearly visible than 
before. ' Now,' said I to myself, ' I most cer- 
tainly have you ! ' so wheeled about, and spurred 
Finella ; but the result was as before, he vanished 
instantaneously. I must candidly confess I had 
now got enough of the phantasmagoria ; and 
whether it were from a love of home, or a par- 
ticipation in my dislike of this very stupid ghost, 
no matter, Finella did her best to run away, 
and would by no means agree to any further 
process of investigation. I will not deny that I 
felt somewhat uncomfortable, and half inclined 
to think that this apparition was a warning of 
evil to come, or indication, however obscure, 
of misfortune that had already occurred. So 
strong was this impression, that I almost feared 
to ask for Mrs. Scott when I arrived at Ashe- 
stiel ; but, as Dr. Johnson said on a similar oc- 
casion, ' nothing ever came of it.' My family 
were all as usual ; but I did not soon forget the 
circumstance, because neither the state of the 
atmosphere, nor outline of the scenery, allowed 
of explanation by reference to any of those 
natural phenomena producing apparitions, which, 
however remarkable, are familiar not only to 
James Hogg as a poet, but to almost every 
shepherd in a mountainous district." 

Mr. Weber, who acted as amanuensis, and 



SCENE IN THE LIBRARY. 173 

made extracts for the printers, had retired to 
his desk soon after dinner; and, at the con- 
clusion of the bottle of " Marmion," which, how- 
ever, was a magnum, our host inquired of Mr. 
Buchanan, if he would have more wine, which 
was declined on the plea of being obliged to 
adopt an abstemious regimen to avoid gout. 
Coffee was ready above stairs, where we found 
Mrs. Scott and the young people ; also a lady, 
then employed as a teacher in the family, who 
played some Scotch airs on the harp, to which 
the poet seemed to listen with great pleasure, 
and expressed his hopes that " she found Sophia 
a good pupil." At about eight o'clock, the hour 
when people generally sit down to dinner in Lon- 
don, the author of " Marmion" had finished 
coffee, dinner, and chasse, and was again seated 
at his desk proceeding with " Don Roderick." 
He had advised me to remain up stairs and pass 
the time with music, pictures, books, and con- 
versation, till the supper hour often ; but, having 
a previous engagement, I took my leave soon 
after, and, by permission, rapped en passant at 
the library door, to get an old book which he 
had promised. I found him writing as busily as 
possible. 

" Look here," said he, " I have just begun 
to copy over the rhymes that you heard to day, 
and applauded so much. With all deference 



174 WALLACE AGAIN. 

to your judgment, there are a thousand faults, 
which I must try to mend ; and mended they 
shall be; or, at least, exchanged for others. 
To-morrow morning, before parliament-house 
time, I shall have eight or ten more stanzas 
complete ; and so will soon arrive at the extent 
of my tether. Return to supper, if you can ; only 
don't be late, as you perceive we keep early 
hours, and Wallace will not suffer me to rest 
after six in the morning. Come, good dog, and 
help the poet." 

At this hint, Wallace seated himself upright 
on a chair next his master, who offered him a 
newspaper, which he directly seized, looking very 
wise, and holding it firmly and contentedly in 
his mouth. Scott looked at him with great 
satisfaction, for he was excessively fond of dogs. 
« Very well," said he, " now we shall get on." 
And so I left them abruptly, knowing that my 
" absence would be the best company." On this 
principle, I was allowed to form an exception on 
Sundays and Mondays, when he was always 
much engaged, and when the stout coachman 
attended the door, and, in a gruff voice, declared 
to all visitors, that his master was not at home. 
" If I am ever so busy," said he, " I don't mind 
you ; because you make no botheration, and 
seldom stay long." 



NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS. 175 



CHAPTER VI. 

NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS DEATH OF LORD MELVILLE 

AND PRESIDENT BLAIR — APPROACH OF PECUNIARY IN- 

VOLVEMENTS. 

There are many of his employments up to this 
date (1811) which I have left unnoticed. He edited 
and partly wrote so many volumes (not to speak 
of contributions to periodicals), that I doubt if a 
correct list has ever been made out. Of those 
usually noted, there were the " Somers' Tracts," 
in six volumes quarto, edited for Constable ; 
" Northern Antiquities," made up, in partnership 
with Weber and R. Jamison, for John Ballan- 
tyne and Co., though not published till long 
after ; and the work already mentioned, respect- 
ing the character and habits of King James VI., 
of which I am so stupid as to forget the title ; 
but its contents were afterwards superseded by 
the lively portraiture of this eccentric monarch 
in the "Fortunes of Nigel." The Life and Works 
of Swift also partly occupied his attention, 
though the book did not appear till 1814. It 
was edited for Constable, who, for some time, 
complained bitterly that Scott had neglected him, 



176 DEATH OF LORD MELVILLE 

" having made a contract for a new edition of 
Swift, and, instead of fulfilling it, occupied him- 
self in writing poems for other people." 

" Don Roderick," which proved rather un- 
popular, was finished in May, and published in 
June ; but at this period events occurred which 
affected his mind deeply. I allude to the almost 
simultaneous death of Lord Melville and Presi- 
dent Blair, two friends whom, next to the Earl 
of Dalkeith, the Duke of Buccleuch, and Lord 
Somerville, he most loved and respected. The 
sudden loss of these two eminent men caused a 
great sensation in Scotland. I well remember 
being at an anniversary dinner party with Lord 
Melville and Mr. Scott, only a few months before 
his lordship's death; and never, certainly, was 
there spent a more jovial and happy evening. 
Lord Melville was then retired from public life ; 
his enemies had endeavoured to fix a stigma on 
his character as a public office-bearer, but their 
attempts were defeated, and he retained the mens 
sibi conscia recti, together with all that vivacity 
of spirit which animated his former exertions. 
He was not in good health, being liable to some 
disorder in the circulation of the blood ; on 
which account, his physicians advised that he 
should not ride on horseback, nor indulge in the 
pleasures of the table, nor even write and read, 
without great caution : to all which he answered 



AND PRESIDENT BLAIR. 177 

that " caution in regard to his health he never 
had adopted, and never would adopt; the vessel," 
said he, " must go, as usual, to the well till it 
breaks. I shall ride, walk, eat, drink, and work, 
as formerly, till the thread snaps ; and whether 
this will happen soon or late, God only knows ; 
but caution would be of little service." Certainly 
on that evening, whatever was his state of health, 
he did not trouble himself with any medical 
rules. He joined, though moderately, in a bowl 
of punch, after his usual portion of wine had 
been finished ; also joined heartily in the chorus 
of every song, sat to an early hour, and looked 
like one who might live for, at least, other twenty 
years. His death was very sudden, owing, I 
believe, to some organic disease of the heart, 
which no medical advice or treatment could al- 
leviate. To President Blair's peculiarities of 
character I have already alluded. His death 
was equally sudden, and was not preceded by 
any indications of illness. He had taken his 
usual afternoon walk, after the rising of the 
court, and on his return fell down in an apo- 
plectic fit, which proved rapidly mortal. 

7^ Tp vfc ^ Tn£ 

In 1811, also, after the brief experience of 
about two years, it appeared that the house of 
John Ballantyne and Co. was not likely to prove 
a lucrative establishment. With the sole ex- 

N 



178 APPROACH OF 

ception of the author of " Marmion," Constable 
had secured and contrived to keep the assistance 
of every literary character of high repute in 
Scotland. Besides, the " Edinburgh Review " 
was then in its glory ; and so great was the 
admiration bestowed on this quarterly pamphlet, 
that its proprietor even, on that account alone, 
ranked as the facile princeps of Scottish pub- 
lishers. In the old book department, too, he 
sold more volumes in a month than his opponent 
could get rid of in a year. In short, one shop 
was like a fashionable west end lounge ; and the 
other, like an old established and opulent ware- 
house in the city. But the genius of John Bal- 
lantyne was not easily defeated : though always 
an invalid, he had the art of invariably keeping 
up buoyant spirits; put the best face on every 
thing ; would talk as boldly as if he had fifty 
thousand at command, when, perhaps, he was r 
for the moment, puzzled how to retire a bill of 
only fifty pounds ; kept his blood - horses, and 
rode out every day on Leith Sands or elsewhere, 
returning to a late dinner and bottle of old port ; 
which habits, he said, were not only agreeable in 
themselves, but absolutely requisite, according 
to the advice of his physician, for the recovery 
of his health. Then, over a glass of wine, he 
would, with the animation of a boy of fifteen., 
draw such castles in the air, founded on literary 



PECUNIARY INVOLVEMENTS. 179 

and bookselling speculations, that if only one 
tower of a single edifice could have been realised, 
he would certainly have proved himself the first 
publisher in the world. Sir Walter was greatly 
amused with these eccentricities in the book- 
seller, for whom he had a sincere and lasting 
regard ; but looked rather grave when, on an 
inspection of the balance-sheet, it appeared that, 
although brilliant prospects shone at a distance, 
yet the expenditure of the house hitherto ex- 
ceeded its income. 

This year the author of " Marmion " expressed 
more than usual gladness, when the summer 
session closed and he could escape to his country 
residence of Ashestiel, where he had now the 
additional amusement of riding across every day 
to see how the improvements advanced at Ab- 
botsford. He cherished that innate love of the 
country, which has so often been found combined 
with the most distinguished talents, both in an- 
cient and modern times ; and, on escaping from 
Edinburgh wearied and dispirited, would, after 
a single day's enjoyment of mountain air, awake, 
as it were, to new life. The plans at Abbots- 
ford (so it was now denominated) occupied a 
great share of his attention, and it does not 
appear that he engaged much in literary com- 
position : though every autumn (his favourite 
season in the country) generally suggested some 



180 APPROACH OF PECUNIARY DIFFICULTIES. 

new plot. But he had so much of editorship, 
antiquarian research, and bibliography, always 
on hand, that his time was amply employed. 
During the spring of the following year he re- 
moved with his family from Ashestiel (" long his 
summer cabin, which he did not quit without 
regret ") to Abbotsford. 



REMARKS ON AUTHORSHIP. 181 



CHAPTER VII. 

REMARKS ON AUTHORSHIP COMMERCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 

CONVERSATIONS ON BIBLIOGRAPHY ROKEBY. 

Of all pursuits on earth from which one can 
derive pecuniary advantage, none is so pre- 
carious as bookmaking, for which there are 
many obvious reasons. Not merely bread and 
wearing apparel, but diamond rings and neck- 
laces, gold snuff-boxes, and ten thousand other 
productions of human industry become recog- 
nised as necessaries of life in civilised society, 
but poems and romances never. At all events, 
there is nothing put down under this head for 
indispensable allowances in a household. Jack, 
John, or Sir John (as his rank may be), the 
father of the family, I take for granted is rich, 
but he has no time to read such fantastic trum- 
pery, not he: besides, books only bother him; 
and if Miss Delia, or Miss Clementina, has 
actually acquired the wicked, idle taste for 
poems and novels, she must tax herself for a 
subscription to the nearest circulating library, 
or borrow the books from some far less opulent 
friend ; but, to suppose that a new metrical 



182 COMMERCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. 

romance, price two or three guineas (which was 
not extraordinary in 1812), will be passed over 
in her audit like the price of a new gown, or 
even a pair of diamond earrings, is out of the 
question. A poet, whose quarto volume costs 
a high price, is not from the first looked on with 
the most favourable eye by a rich purchaser; 
and to repeat the experiment frequently, with 
the same sort of wares, will never do ; he must 
contrive something entirely new, both in style 
and materials, otherwise the chances turn against 
him.* 

The extraordinary success which had attended 
Scott's literary efforts, had by this time involved 
him in actual difficulties, or, at least, brought 
him into danger ; though to others, and perhaps 
to himself, he appeared altogether prosperous. 
Detecting, with great sagacity, the weaknesses 
and blunders which caused the failure of other 
authors, he yet possibly relied far too much on 

* Portrait-painters, sculptors, musicians, and actors, 
have, in some respects, a great advantage over authors. 
There is no great importance usually attached to the price 
of a new hook, hut there is immense gratification to vanity in 
having one's own picture stuck up at the exhibition ; and 
as to concert-rooms and theatres, they are places of meet- 
ing for purposes very different from that of merely watch- 
ing the performance ; and where (as in churches,) people 
meet to see and to be seen, and carry on the business of 
life. 



COMMERCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. 183 

his already acquired " empire over the minds 
of the people," as a means of securing wealth, 
as well as reputation. In all probability he, 
therefore, seldom paused to reflect on the com- 
mercial responsibility which he had incurred 
with the Messrs. Ballantyne, who were his old 
friends and schoolfellows, or on his own ex- 
penditure, which far exceeded his professional 
income. Moreover, land had been purchased ; 
further purchases were intended ; architects, ma- 
sons, painters, carpenters, gardeners, designers, 
and drainers, were all at work, and must be 
paid. But the star of his good fortune was sup- 
posed to be still in the ascendant. He himself 
modestly ascribed the favour of the public to 
chance, rather than to his own superior merits ; 
but then the prize had been won, and on the 
continued possession of this public favour de- 
pended the possibility of carrying through the 
expensive plans he had begun, and meeting the 
engagements he had formed. 

In the summer of 1812, I happened to reside 
in Princes Street ; and he called frequently on 
his way from the parliament-house. Increased 
ill health precluded my acceptance of his kind 
invitations to Castle Street, and he used to 
derive amusement from looking over a quantity 
of old books, which I had then selected from a 
very large collection in the possession of Mr. 



184 CONVERSATIONS ON BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Blackwood. One afternoon I expressed great 
vexation at the bookseller having sold to Mr. 
Erskine of Mar, the autograph letters of Lady- 
Grange, during her extraordinary captivity in 
St. Kilda, although the purchaser obtained the 
documents with the avowed purpose of destroy- 
ing them. " They will not be so completely 
destroyed as you think," replied he ; " for I 
looked carefully over them, and made a jotting 
of the most remarkable passages. But I cannot 
quite agree with you in being so angry with 
Blackwood, or with Mr. Erskine of Mar, for 
wishing to suppress papers which are any thing 
but creditable to his ancestors. Our antiquarian 
zeal as collectors must not be allowed to trespass 
on private feeling." At this time, with the 
kindest intentions, Sir Walter urgently recom- 
mended such literary employment on reprints 
and old manuscripts as, without requiring much 
labour, would yet fill up the whole day, and 
absorb attention. On the same principle, he 
greatly praised some stanzas in the Spenserian 
measure, which I had recently elaborated. " Re- 
flect," said he, " whether these lines were not 
written, as I imagine, con amore, and without 
any worrying reflections what people would say 
of them ? Depend on it, no one does any good 
as a poet, unless he has courage to make such 
a bold plunge, as will oblige him to forget all 



EOKEBY. 185 

the world, and even himself, in his subject. It 
is only in this way that literature acts as an 
effectual sedative for irritability, and stimulant 
for our better faculties. As to apprehensions 
of bad health, if sedentary employments do not 
agree, then ride, walk, shoot, fish, delve the 
garden, or break stones on the highway. Do 
all these things with might and main, but never 
allow the mind to prey on itself, and raise idle 
phantoms ; in a word, never despond, which is 
the mere result of laziness and ennui." 

In 1813 appeared " Rokeby," which cost him 
infinitely more trouble than any of his former 
poems, and was more highly finished ; yet, not- 
withstanding high praise from the best judges, 
proved comparatively a failure. This may seem 
paradoxical, yet is easily explained. Under the 
heavy responsibilities already mentioned, was it 
possible, during the composition of this poem, 
to avoid certain disagreeable feelings of con- 
straint, which are injurious to any author, and 
to Scott were particularly irksome ? His exist- 
ing popularity, and the engagements he had 
formed on the faith of its continuance, now 
absolutely forced him into the situation which 
he had always deprecated, and, as we have just 
seen, advised his friends to guard against ; 
namely, that of being obliged to write with 
anxiety for the result, and to look on literary 



186 



ROKEBY. 



employment as a trade rather than an amuse- 
ment. In the production of every line or stanza, 
he felt that the public eye was upon him, and 
expected something superexcellent ; and so pain- 
ful and injurious was the impression, that on 
this ground alone it is easy to account for the 
pleasure he afterwards took in writing his ro- 
mances under an assumed name, and the veil 
of mystery. 

" Rokeby" has ample proof of that power 
which, more or less, appeared in all his pro- 
ductions ; but let it be compared with the three 
former poems, and I suspect it will be found 
decidedly inferior in that natural spirit and raci- 
ness which they exhibit. It was, in truth, task- 
work ; and so he frequently confessed to me 
during its composition. " I must turn," said he, 
" the three hundredth page ; and, heu me miser- 
urn, have only arrived at two hundred and ten ! 
I assure you, I am so sick-tired of this grewsome 
tale, that I can hardly persuade myself to drag 
it on any further." 

On a Sunday, which was always a busy time, 
I called on him to return an old and valuable 
manuscript, and apologised for my intrusion. 
" Never mind," said he, " enter and welcome ! 
When you last called, I was in a hobble, very 
tired, and almost thought I should never see 
the end of ' Rokeby ; ' but now I have got so 



EOKEBY. 187 

near land, that I feel quite lightsome and re- 
joiced. By way of finale, I was only committing 
a few murders, an occupation in which surely 
no man has any moral right to complain of being 
interrupted by a friend ! " 



188 JOHN PINKERTON AND HIS TRAGEDY. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

JOHN PINKERTON AND HIS TRAGEDY DISPUTES ON RE- 
LIGION OPINIONS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT THEREON 

UNPUBLISHED APOLOGUE OF STERNE. 

In the beginning of 1813, after the publication 
of " Rokeby," I had the honour of several visits 
from Sir Walter. His first call that year was 
to request that an epilogue might be written 
for Mr. Pinkerton's forthcoming tragedy of 
"Finella, Countess of Strathearn" (or some such 
name), an abominable production, although the 
infatuated vanity of the author led him to confide 
in its being superlative, and that by this means 
he would rank in the first class of Scottish poets. 
In point of idleness, no one in Edinburgh could 
be better fitted for such an office. I had nothing 
else to do, and therefore sent an epilogue next 
morning, but of such disproportionate length, 
that Sir Walter doubted if Mrs. Henry Siddons 
would have patience to learn half of it, not to 
speak of the audience who had to listen. '« How- 
ever," continued he, " it is all the better. Old 
Pinky Winky is delighted, and says it glows 
with genuine poetry, which compliment is paid 



DISPUTES ON RELIGION. 189 

merely because he imagines, however erroneous- 
ly, that you admire his productions. As for the 
epilogue, let it rest as it now is ; for, be assured, 
it never will be wanted." Accordingly, the play 
proceeded well enough till the third act, when 
the audience, becoming convinced that both plot 
and dialogue were equally objectionable, the 
rest of this grand classical tragedy turned into 
farce, and no epilogue was needed. 

The character of Sir Walter was always well 
brought out when placed in the neighbourhood 
of unmanageable, wayward people, to which class 
Pinkerton certainly belonged, having all the 
weaknesses and caprices of genius, with a very 
slender proportion of its contrasting strength. 
Old " Pinky" was generally very quiet and hum- 
drum in the mornings ; but after dinner, provided 
he met with good wine, became not only dis- 
putatious and sarcastic, but waspish and vin- 
dictive in his expressions. On such occasions, 
he now and then indulged in sneers against 
religion, a subject which Sir Walter never in- 
troduced into table-talk, though he bore with 
it patiently. Unluckily, however, Pinkerton, by 
this means, once roused an opponent who was 
as remarkable for indiscreetly managed zeal in 
defence of religion, as the antiquary for his 
aversion to it. One casual remark was enough 
to excite this individual (a truly good and pious 



190 DISPUTES ON RELIGION. 

lady,) to absolute wrath, which she would have 
thought it a sin to suppress. Perceiving that 
his monitrix had lost temper, Pinkerton quietly 
replenished his glass, and answered her reproofs 
with the most sarcastic nonchalance; which, 
considering the effect it produced, became quite 
intolerable. Sir Walter could have stopped " old 
Pinky" with a single word, but it was now al- 
together beyond his power to quiet the lady, 
who remained proof against every effort that 
he made to change the conversation. At last 
a musical genius, who was of the party, came 
to his aid by volunteering an entirely new song, 
which had the desired effect ; and afterwards, 
care was taken to engage Pinky in an animated 
discussion respecting the carved obelisks at 
Meigle and Aberlemno, thus restoring him to 
perfect good humour. 

Among remarkable traits in Sir Walter's cha- 
racter is to be reckoned, that whilst his own 
conduct was ever most exemplary, yet, in the 
eye of ignorant or censorious observers, he might 
appear to be of no religion. But, though worthy 
of remark, this trait is assuredly not singular ; 
for, has it not often been the case with in- 
dividuals (I speak of the laity), who had the 
deepest sense of religious and moral duty, that 
they talked least on the subject, and never ob- 
trusively paraded their sentiments and opinions ? 



OPINIONS OF SIR W. SCOTT THEREON. 191 

On this subject, I shall here venture to tran- 
scribe a few sentences from a private letter of 
a highly valued friend, who will, I am confident, 
excuse the liberty : 

" Spiritually speaking, religion applies to 
another world ; and viewed practically as a guide 
in this material sphere, how can it so well be 
cultivated, as by efforts, however humble and 
inadequate, to fulfil those duties unequivocally 
enjoined by the divine Founder of our faith? 
Will those who are fully occupied with the 
practice of religion, have either time or inclina- 
tion for theoretical speculations, or controversial 
discussion ? It may be with the best intentions 
that some people, who are reckoned devout, do 
make a parade of piety. It may be with the 
purest motives that they attend church twice 
every Sunday ; that they sit in their drawing- 
rooms reading large Bibles ; that they lecture 
all their acquaintances, and insist on regular 
attendance at family-worship. But, alas ! we 
also know that all this may be done, and is done, 
by the most worthless hypocrites, who assume 
the semblance of devotion as easily as they could 
fling a white garment over a black one ; whereas, 
on the contrary, self-denial, generosity, benevo- 
lence, and other active virtues, which tend to 
good results in this world, by no means admit 
of being counterfeited or assumed. How clearlv 



192 OPINIONS OF SIR W. SCOTT THEREON. 

are the distinctions marked betwixt moral good 
and moral evil ! Yet some infidel writers (Hel- 
vetius for example) have attached wonderous 
importance to the sophistical aphorism, that all 
mortals are in reality actuated by the same 
principles, only differently developed ; and that 
virtue is but selfishness under another name. 
So far as there is truth in these assertions, it 
amounts merely to the fact, that all mortals, in 
one shape or another, aim at happiness, which it 
would be useless to dispute. But is there no dis- 
tinction to be drawn betwixt those who place their 
happiness in slavish obedience to mere animal 
instinct, and those who are happy in strenuous, 
though painful efforts, to obey the mandates of rea- 
soning conscience, which, with instinct, is almost 
perpetually at war ? Is there no difference of prin- 
ciples, as well as of conduct, betwixt the individual 
devoted to pursuits, the tendency of which he well 
knows to be narrow, exclusive, and centered in 
self; and another who sacrifices personal and selfish 
feelings, perhaps even life, for the promotion of 
motives which tend to the good of others, and 
deserve universal adoption ? When Sir Philip 
Sidney, mortally wounded, and dying of thirst, 
desired the water that was brought to him to 
be handed first to the wounded soldier, are 
his principles and motives to be considered the 
same with those of a man who would instantly 



OPINIONS OF SIR W. SCOTT THEREON. 193 

drink up the water, and refuse even the earnest 
prayer of his companion in arms to spare him 
a drop ? The one aims at virtue, and finds his 
happiness in the fulfilment of duty, however 
painful ; the other aims at happiness or gratifi- 
cation ; but, as to virtue, is wholly indifferent. 
There are texts enough in Scripture, of which 
the import cannot be misunderstood : for ex- 
ample, ' Not every one who says Lord, Lord, 
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who 
doth the will of my Father, who is in heaven.' 
The flippant sarcasm of the French philosopher 
loses all its force when aimed against the grati- 
fication arising from efforts to fulfil the Divine 
will, of which one leading maxim is, ' Do unto 
others as ye would they should do unto you ;' 
nor can such efforts be made without painful 
sacrifices, and resistance to those sensual im- 
pulses and motives of merely individual interest, 
which properly deserve the stigmatising epithet 
of selfish." 

Thus far my correspondent; and whatever 
the reader may think of so long a sermon, I 
believe its application to the subject of this 
memoir will be sufficiently obvious. Sir Wal- 
ter, it is true, seldom went to church, and never 
engaged in religious controversy ; yet, by whom 
were the intrinsic duties insisted on in the above 
extract more perseveringly fulfilled? He did 
o 



194 UNPUBLISHED APOLOGUE OF STERNE. 

not hear many sermons ; however, in the year 
1827, he wrote two, for the sole purpose of 
benefitting a protege, who was then struggling 
with difficulties, and whom he could not, as it 
might have been in former years, assist with 
ready money. 

Yet, one more digression, which will not be 
quite mal apropos ! In a portfolio of old auto- 
graphs, I have seen an original apologue, or 
parable of Sterne's, which, for obvious reasons, 
the author never published. The sketch in- 
troduces two zealots at an ale-house, furiously 
engaged in a religious controversy. At length, 
one of them is so irritated, that he proposes to 
refer the matter under discussion to a third 
party, who has hitherto smoked his pipe at the 
chimney-corner in profound silence. This per- 
son refuses the office of umpire, declaring that 
he himself is of no religion. They both express 
horror at the confession, and shrink from him. 
Meanwhile, the landlord comes in, shaking the 
snow from his hat, for it is a wild winter night, 
and describes a scene of great misery, which he 
had just witnessed. A poor family (whom he 
particularises by name and residence), have just 
then been deprived of all by a hard-hearted land- 
steward, whilst three of them are ill of a fever ; 
and the father, a proud-hearted, honest man, has 
not a penny to bestow on them, and looks on 



UNPUBLISHED APOLOGUE OF STERNE. 195 

their dying pangs in silence, rather than sub- 
mit to beggary, though his heart is wrung. 

" D it ! " says the landlord, " I could hardly 

stand this, and would have liked to give the 
rascally bailiff a thrashing, for poor Jones was 
once a good customer. Is it not hard, gentle- 
men ? " " Very ! " replied the religious dis- 
putants, continuing their controversy, and draw- 
ing nearer to the fire. Meanwhile, the silent 
gentleman of no religion having marked every 
word, had flung his pipe into the fire, and 
marched silently away to the scene of action. 
The conclusion may be guessed. Within the 
next two hours, and before the theological dis- 
pute ends, he supplies the destitute family with 
money, finds them a doctor, replaces the furni- 
ture, and leaves them in comparative comfort. 

Perhaps a very erroneous moral might be 
drawn from all this ; but, whatever were Sterne's 
faults, he was no infidel ; and the story, like 
divers parts of " Tristram Shandy," was in- 
tended to convey a justifiable and bitter satire 
on the ways of the world, wherein canting dis- 
putatious pretenders harangue about the out- 
ward observances of religion, and mysteries of 
faith, whilst the practice of Christian charity, 
and all other active virtues, is left for those who 
make no professions or pretensions whatever. 



196 UNPUBLISHED APOLOGUE OF STERNE. 

These, it may be said, are truisms, but not, on 
that account, the less important ; for truisms 
are like the sunlight, common to all, yet ines- 
timable, and too often misused, or neglected ! 
My digressions, however, are too long. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 197 



CHAPTER IX. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY THE LAIRD OF BONNYMOON IN HIS LIBRARY 

INADEQUATE SUCCESS OF ROKEBY — .LORD OF THE ISLES 

— LIFE AND WORKS OF SWIFT BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN, 

AND HAROLD THE DAUNTLESS. 

In 1813, as already said, I had frequent visits 
from Sir Walter ; for, in those days, bibliography 
formed a sort of bond of union between collectors, 
even when in other respects dissimilar in charac- 
ter : and I had recently moved all the books and 
pictures of which I was possessed, from the coun- 
try to a large house in the new town, where they 
occupied several apartments. The black letter 
treasures were well arranged ; but, on one occa- 
sion, he wished to find out a now-forgotten novel, 
entitled "Santo Sebastiano," which had been 
placed with a great quantity of miscellaneous 
books in an anteroom; and, on entering this 
repertory, it was discovered that part of the 
shelves had broken down, and the books were 
strewed about the floor. This occurrence led 
him, perhaps for the first time in his life, to the 
mere repetition of a story, already well known, 
and which came into vogue from the royal appro- 



198 THE LAIRD OF BONNYMOON 

bation bestowed on it, when repeated by a most 
entertaining bon vivant to King George IV. 
However, he did give, as usual, an improved 
version. At starting, he described how the rain 
beat, the wind blew, and the mist settled on the 
Grampian Hills, on a cold October morning; 
and the laird proposed to his guest that, as the 
day was so awfully bad, they should " steek the 
shutters, light the candles, and, over a bowl of 
punch, try what kind of a night it wad make." 
Then, how "Sandy Hunter" inquired whether 
the laird had any books to beguile the time in 
such disastrous weather, and was told that there 
existed indeed a large library, which the laird's 
ancestors had collected and arranged; but, for 
his own part, he found always more reading than 
he could manage in the newspapers. Thereafter, 
at Sandy's earnest request, a visit to this neglected 
repository, where the contents (so runs the story) 
were luckily formed into distinct classes, Greek, 
Latin, foreign and domestic, historical, legal, 
medical, et cetera. Then the laird's decided and 
most laughable objections severally to every de- 
partment, without exception, of literary research ; 
his anathemas against the productions of Spain, 
France, and Italy, " as if we had not buiks 
enough of our own, without meddling with such 
forenger trash ;" his vehement aversion to Greek, 
because the " vera karakters were no readable ;" 



IN HIS LIBRARY. 199 

his maledictions on Latin, because he had not 
forgotten the useless floggings it cost him at 
school; his contempt for medical science, be- 
cause "every man knew that air and exercise, 
with gude meat and drink, were better than doc- 
tors' drogs ; and that if these wad not do, the rest 
was all humbug ;" his conviction that historians, 
"because they never agreed, had nothing but 
imposition and lies among them ;" his dislike to 
modern books, because, " if the auld ones were 
stupit, the new were waur ;" the absolute horror 
he expressed, when his bibliographical guest 
came to the legal department. " Hech, man !'* 
cried he, " lay down that black deevil of a buik ! 
Let sleeping dogs lie ; for law's waur than the 
black art, and it wad be a blessing if a' the law- 
yers' buiks (and themselves too !) were brunt by 
the hangman." 

Lastly, for the climax — the peroration — the 
catastrophe ! When " Sandy Hunter" lifted up 
his hands and eyes in amazement at a division 
where the books presented a most extraordinary 
appearance, and where he vainly tried to pull 
out the mutilated remains of a valuable editio 
princeps — 

" Ay," says the laird, " I see ye're admiring 
how snod the library looks there. Ye ken it's 
an auld house, and the books w T ere so weighty, 
that in that corner of the room the whole of the 



200 ROKEBY. 

shelves cam to an accident and fell down; so I 
was necessitated to send for John Spales, the 
wright, a vera industrious, neat-handed callant, 
and he directly mended up the shelves. But, 
when he tried to fill them again, some deevil had 
gotten amang the buiks, for the skelves were not 
wide nor side enough to hold them; so John 
(he's an ingenious clever lad !) was resolved to 
make a handsome job. He ranged the buiks on 
the floor, and measured them wi' his ruler ; but 
when he fand that they wad by no possibility fit, 
I said he had better take the saw to them. Then 
he sawed an inch off the folios, half an inch off 
the quartos, and a quarter off the twelvemos ; 
garred them fit, and drave them down to the 
wall wi' his mell. It will be lang to the day 
before I try to pull any of them out again !" 

Notwithstanding the unfavourable circum- 
stances above noticed, respecting "Rokeby," its 
circulation was very extensive, nor did good 
judges fail to express their admiration. As to 
the words somewhere imputed to the proprietor 
of the Rokeby estates, that the book sold merely 
on account of the author's name on the title- 
page, I should think Mr. Morritt (than whom 
Scott had no friend more sincerely attached) 
was about the last individual on earth to make 
any such remark ; but the publishers no longer 
heard such cordial praise from all, and even 



LORD OF THE ISLES. 201 

unexpected quarters, as accompanied each of the 
preceding poems. However, the indomitable and 
inexhaustible genius of Scott was not to be 
daunted by one poetical failure. "It was pos- 
sible," he said, " though he did not quite under- 
stand the matter, that he resembled the parson 
who could not preach except in his own pulpit, 
and had erred by laying the scene on English 
ground ; he would, therefore, try in the next 
instance another Scottish campaign." With 
great energy and expedition, therefore, he pro- 
duced the "Lord of the Isles," the longest and 
most elaborate of his metrical romances, and 
which appeared the very next year after the 
failure of " Rokeby." But the spell was now 
broken. I doubt if the " Lord of the Isles " 
brought much profit either to author or pub- 
lisher, though, as a matter of course, the quarto 
was immediately followed by an octavo edition. 
The house of Ballantyne and Co. had undertaken 
some heavy works of other authors ; such, for 
example, as Dr. Jameson's " History of the Cul- 
dees," which brought no returns. Their capital 
was much impaired, and, in the winter of 1814-5, 
it was found necessary to make an effort in order 
to avoid bankruptcy. On this occasion Scott 
accepted the pecuniary aid which was offered by 
friends, and which, to the uttermost fraction, he 
soon afterwards repaid ; and Mr. Ballantyne very 



202 BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN 

judiciously sold off by auction the whole of his 
antiquarian and general stock, which realised a 
good sum, giving out that, in future, he intended 
to confine himself exclusively to the wholesale 
and publishing departments. The affairs of the 
house were thus creditably, and without any 
exposure, arranged; and, not long afterwards, 
Mr. John Ballantyne started as a book auc- 
tioneer, an employment which, in his hands, 
turned out very profitable. 

As a publisher, therefore, though Ballantyne 
did not retire from the trade, Constable now had 
the field almost entirely to himself; and, in the 
first place, obtained from Mr. Scott the fulfil- 
ment of his existing contract with regard to the 
" Life and Works of Swift," in nineteen volumes. 
After this appeared the " Bridal of Triermain " 
and " Harold the Dauntless," which upon the 
whole were coldly received; though, probably, 
these are the poems which, next to the "Lady 
of the Lake " and her two precursors, a good 
judge would, at this date, read over with most 
pleasure. There prevails in them a careless yet 
graceful freedom of manner and much poetic 
feeling ; but they came into the world, in little 
unostentatious volumes, as works of an unknown 
author, obviously a good follower of Scott, and,' 
perhaps, worthy to become his rival. But this 
was not enough ; for, in hundreds of instances, 



AND HAROLD THE DAUNTLESS. 203 

it has been proved that no book speculation can 
be more unprofitable than a merely anonymous 
poem, unless it be a personal satire, or there are 
influential friends of the author ready to point 
out its merits and ensure its circulation. 



204 PUBLICATION OF WAVERLEY. 



CHAPTER X. 

PUBLICATION OF WAVERLEY BENEVOLENCE — VAGARIES OF 

AN UNFORTUNATE LITTERATEUR SIR WALTER SCOTt's 

AVERSION TO SATIRE — TOLERANCE FOR THE FAULTS OF 
OTHERS. 

" Waverley," in three volumes, had been an- 
nounced by John Ballantyne in 1811, and a 
sheet or two set in types : but there the matter 
stopped ; and now, when Ballantyne had almost 
ceased to be a publisher, the main question was, 
how to induce Constable to carry on with effect 
the speculation which his opponent had begun ? 
I well remember the coldness with which he 
at first treated the novel of " Waverley," and 
the judicious efforts made by Mr. James Bal- 
lantyne, the printer, in order to excite curiosity, 
and form a strong body of friends in its favour 
before publication. With this intent, some of 
the proof-sheets exemplifying the style, without 
betraying too much of the story, were, under 
promise of mutual confidence, put into the hands 
of Mr. Henry Mackenzie, Dr. Thomas Brown, 
Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Hamilton, and other savans, 
or savantes, whose dicta on the merits of a new 



PUBLICATION OF WAVERLEY. 205 

novel were considered unimpeachable. Their 
opinions being unanimous in its favour, Messrs. 
Constable and Cadell at last offered a sum for 
the copyright, which was declined, perhaps from 
some disgust at the caution they had previously 
shewn. Yet the booksellers were in the right. 
" Waverley" was an anonymous novel, and, had 
it not been for the powerful party of friends 
secured in its favour, and the curiosity after- 
wards excited by the impenetrable veil of mystery 
assumed by its author, it is quite possible that 
the book, with all its merits, might have shared 
the fate of " Harold the Dauntless," and the 
" Bridal of Triermain." This, however, was 
guarded against. The sale at first was not 
rapid; but those who purchased their copies, 
did not fail to read them, and all were delighted. 
The news eventually spread like wild-fire. An 
original novel had come out, actually better and 
more piquant than those of Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. 
Brunton, or even Mr. Mackenzie himself, which 
were previously considered as displaying the 
ne plus ultra of Scottish contemporary excel- 
lence, and the plaudits were unbounded. 

In this memoir I have frequently introduced 
egotism for the sole purpose of shewing how 
kindly Sir Walter interested himself in the fate 
of an idle and wayward student, whose ill health 
rendered him an object of commiseration ; 



206 BENEVOLENCE — VAGARIES OF 

though, in other respects, his circumstances 
might have been looked on as enviable. In 
the case of those who already had independent 
fortune, Scott always encouraged literary oc- 
cupation, with the injunction that it should be 
looked on as an amusement merely, whilst he 
conscientiously dissuaded the poor against trust- 
ing to such employments for support. Hence, 
the advice once given to James Hogg, which 
the latter has commemorated in the " Queen's 
Wake," and which the good, though vain shep- 
herd, actually imputed to jealousy and envy ! ! 
But how rare in the world are instances of men, 
greatly occupied and successful in their own 
pursuits, having, at the same time, any room left 
in their minds for sympathy with people whose 
habits are entirely different ! For the most part, 
such exalted and active personages either will 
not or cannot enter into the feelings, whether 
painful or pleasant, of others who belong to a 
different class. Yet, of that benevolence and 
generosity, which ought always to form an in- 
tegral part of the chivalrous and gentlemanly 
character, Sir Walter, as we have seen, possessed 
an uncommon share. In 1814 he expressed to 
me his regret for the distresses of a poor man, 
having a family to maintain, and who, contrary 
to the advice of all his friends, had given up a 
tolerable employment as a schoolmaster, pos- 



AN UNFORTUNATE LITTERATEUR. 207 

sessed, like mgny ethers, with the unfortunate 
notion that he was born to be a great poet, 
although, in that respect, his power consisted 
merely in a facility of manufacturing smooth 
verses. " As an amanuensis," said Mr. Scott, 
" I would willingly recommend him to you, for 
he will gladly undergo any degree of labour ; 
but I should advise, that you pay him only a 
stipulated and moderate sum per sheet ; because, 
the greatest kindness that could be shewn, would 
be to wean him from literary schemes, which 
will never bring profit, and which the possession 
of money only enables him to indulge. My 
object is to get him devoted to such quiet 
drudgery as will bring a secure, though limited 
income ; for such a person would be more for- 
tunate as a cobbler in a stall, earning eighteen- 
pence per day, than excited as he now is by 
perpetual exertion and hopes, always ending in 
misery." 

I observed, that the situation of a lawyer's 
clerk might easily be obtained. 

" Very true ; but he would consider it de- 
rogatory to the literary character. His best 
chance now would be as a private teacher in 
such branches of elementary knowledge as he 
has mastered, and one tithe of the labour and 
industry bestowed on his useless poems would 
fit him for obtaining a tolerable livelihood among 



208 SIR WALTER SCOTT'S 

younger students of the university. With this 
view, a friend of mine got him some pupils, and 
he set out well enough, but after the first week 
began to read to them his own poetry, and they 
laughed at him." 

I have introduced this page only for the 
sake of some characteristic remarks, which fol- 
lowed about a month afterwards, in regard to 
the same unfortunate litterateur. 

" Pray look at this manuscript," said he, " it 
is a production which our friend, * * * * 
brought to me yesterday morning. He had, it 
seems, fished up from a book-stall a copy of the 
Rev. Hay Drummond's long-forgotten " Town 
Eclogue," became possessed with the notion, 
that he would, at length, succeed as a bitter 
satirist, and what has he done ? — attacked not 
only public characters, including all the book- 
sellers, but private friends who have taken 
an interest in his behalf, but who did not act 
precisely as, in his wisdom, he wished and ex- 
pected. Surely this propensity to bring a nest 
of hornets about one's own head, is about the 
worst and most absurd characteristic of the 
genus irritabile ; and as they brew, so must they 
drink. Unfortunately for himself, too, (that is, 
supposing the performance should ever see the 
light), the poor fellow has not been unsuccess- 
ful. Spleen and mortified vanity, combined with 



AVERSION TO SATIRE. 209 

anxiety and sorrow, form, together, the ingre- 
dients for a sort of poison, which enables even 
the humblest creature to sting. There are pas- 
sages here which, if read by the persons 
at whom they are aimed, would never be for- 
given." 

I felt inclined to plead for the scribbler. " In 
that case," I observed, " there must be a share 
of truth in his inuendos, and it is allowable, 
surely, for the poorest author to use the weapon 
of satire where it is deserved." 

"It is desperately inconvenient for himself, 
however ; and, I think, by no means pardonable 
in a man who has a wife and children to protect, 
for by the use of this notable weapon he never 
fails to bring an old house about his ears. No, 
no ! Personal satire, emanating from disappoint- 
ment and spite, is rarely excusable. Besides, 
an author is, of all people in the world, the last 
who should provoke enmity and disturbance, 
because, for his own pursuits, he so much re- 
quires quiet. His mind ought to be like a 
placid lake, reflecting clearly the objects which 
imagination or observation presents to it, not 
a troubled ocean, " with itself at war." Be- 
sides, has not one of the best satirists observed, 
that the world is a great mad-house ? If so, 
most people are deserving of pity rather than 
anger." 

p 



210 TOLERANCE FOR THE 

By these casual remarks, considerable light 
is thrown on one leading principle in Scott's 
character, which, considering the degree to 
which it was carried, might almost be looked 
on as a fault. He so resolutely determined to 
avoid the petty squabbles and prejudices of the 
so-styled " genus irritabile" that, maintaining 
perfect neutrality and independence, he was 
disposed to make allowances for the faults of 
all men, so long as their delicta did not become 
intolerably flagrant. Being, both by tempera- 
ment and practice, of an extremely opposite 
disposition, I took occasion, sometimes, to re- 
present to him, that Mr. White, Mr. Brown, or 
Mr. Black, had acted in a manner altogether 
inexcusable, and such as ought to be exposed. 
He would then reply, " Never mind the expo- 
sure, God help us all ; and let us hope that 
these people will, as old Mrs. Macknight used 
to say, mend the tenour of their ways !" It 
was thus next to impossible to make him angry ; 
for where others would have been irritated, 
he seemed to view the matter as calmly as 
an experienced physician would have looked 
on the vagaries of a poor patient in a fever. 
He deprecated the lampoon, because its effects 
were likely to be injurious to the poor author 
and his family, but had he found himself attacked 
in it, would not have entertained the slightest 



FAULTS OF OTHERS. 211 

resentment. From the height to which he had 
intellectually raised himself, he looked down 
calmly on the goings on of mankind, as unmoved 
by anger at their minor faults and errors, as 
if they had been so many puppets. The likeness 
to Goethe was here again apparent. Sir Walter's 
character being the very opposite of Mephisto- 
phelian, perhaps he wished not only to avoid the 
contemplation of evil, but almost to believe 
that it did not exist. I speak of moral evil ; 
for as to worldly distress, or physical suffering, 
the most painful scenes in a hospital, poor-house, 
or prison, would not have deterred him from 
personal attendance, had it been in his power to 
render any assistance. 

If it be supposed, from all this, that Scott 
could not be roused into the expression of just 
anger, and that his good nature knew no bounds, 
this would be a gross error ; for, on certain 
occasions, no one could more sternly and effect- 
ively indicate his disapprobation. The com- 
parison of the world to a mad-house was a 
mere illustrative quotation. Especially, too, 
I have derived entertainment from the precau- 
tionary, though decisive, measures he adopted 
to keep certain individuals who courted his 
society, at arm's length or cane's length. There 
were people at Edinburgh, some of them high 
in rank and station, whom he always distrusted 



212 TOLERANCE FOR THE FAULTS OF OTHERS. 

and avoided. Among these was a certain noble 
earl, whom he looked on not merely as a tire- 
some egotist, but as an unfeeling selfish miser ; 
and though they not unfrequently met together, 
yet no stratagem could produce an amalgam 
from such heterogeneous materials. 



EFFECTS OF WAVERLEY. 213 



CHAPTER XI. 

EFFECTS OF WAVERLEY GUY MANNERING — THE ANTI- 
QUARY TALES OF MY LANDLORD MISS EDGEAVORTH 

VISIT TO WATERLOO IN 1815 — NUMEROUS LITERARY 

ENGAGEMENTS RECOLLECTIONS OF SCOTT BY DR. LAP- 

PENBERG. 

By the unexpected events of this year, 1814, 
the web of his destiny (if one may be allowed 
such an expression) was already woven, though 
he himself knew it not. The novel of Waverley 
became, in a. short time, quite as successful, in 
its way, as any of the previous poems ; indeed 
these three little volumes, which had been so 
easily written as a relaxation at leisure hours, 
actually proved more profitable than " Marmion," 
or the " Lady of the Lake." Situations of pain- 
ful interest, good moral lessons, and a smooth 
elegant style, were to be found in the works of 
contemporary novelists, and Miss Edgeworth 
excelled in the delineation of Irish peculiarities. 
But the magnificent living portrait of the Baron 
of Bradwardine and his satellites, and the en- 
tirely new light in which the events of the 
memorable year 1745 were presented, opened a 
field for the lovers of novel-reading, such as 



214 GUY MANNERING. 

before had not even been dreamed of. One ro- 
mance naturally led to another ; as, in his own 
words with regard to poetry, " line suggested 
line, and stanza begot stanza." Thus, before 
" Waverley " had arrived at the third edition, 
he had composed great part of " Guy Manner- 
ing," which appeared very early in the follow- 
ing year, and which, for vivid delineation of 
character and rapid succession of incident, 
proved infinitely more attractive than its pre- 
cursor. Next season was published the " Anti- 
quary," to which not one of the whole series is 
preferable ; yet I remember stupid and illiterate 
readers, who could not relish Mr. Oldbuck's 
peculiar humour, asserting that this novel was 
" written with a worn-out pen." But, under 
the impression that the third novel, like the third 
poem, might prove the last which the public 
would favourably receive from one author, he, in 
the very same year (1816), brought out, under the 
nomine de guerre of Peter Pattison, the first four 
volumes of " Tales of my Landlord," which 
were intrusted for publication to Mr. Black- 
wood, with whom he never before had any 
dealings, except in the purchase of old books. 
For a little while the ruse was so far successful, 
that the public did not rightly know what to 
make of the matter : it seemed highly improbable 
that any one author could produce original 



MISS EDGEWORTH. 215 

novels with so much rapidity; and, as if to 
prove (if proof were wanting,) that anonymous 
merit, without a strong party in its favour, will 
not command success, these volumes, under 
Blackwood's management, did not at first circu- 
late in a degree commensurate to their worth. 
The former friends, in this instance, were want- 
ing ; and people were not sure that the so styled 
new author might not actually be an interloper 
on the territories of their acknowledged favour- 
ite, the author of " Waverley." But, ere long, 
the most powerful voices were raised in appro- 
bation of the work. 

Miss Edgeworth was, from the first, a most 
zealous partisan of the novels ; which she, with- 
out hesitation, ascribed to the real author, pre- 
facing a long commendatory letter to Mr. Bal- 
lantyne, with the jeu de mots, " Aut Scotus aut 
Diabolus." (It is to be regreted, by the way, if 
this letter has not been preserved for publication). 
By unanimous suffrage, the " Landlord's Tales" 
were at length attributed to the author of 
"Waverley;" and were so much applauded, 
that he had good reason to confide in having 
opened a vein of inexhaustible and sterling ore, 
from which the supply would only increase the 
demand ad infinitum. 

Meanwhile, in order to thicken the mystifica- 
tion, Scott, instead of being always at his 



216 LITERARY ENGAGEMENTS. 

writing-desk, as might have been expected of 
so voluminous an author, seemed to have his 
time perfectly at command for the routine, either 
of business or amusement. " Three hours per 
diem" as he often observed, " are quite enough 
for literary labour, if only one's attention is kept 
quite undistracted ; and the best time for this 
is in the morning, when other people are asleep." 
But, as a further means of concealment, he per- 
severingly carried On his other literary employ- 
ments, went to visit the field of Waterloo in 1815, 
and published his observations on the Continent 
in an octavo volume, entitled " Paul's Letters to 
his Kinsfolk." He wrote, also, the " Field of 
Waterloo," a poem; but the effort was not a 
happy one. He contributed an elaborate In- 
troduction to " Border Antiquities," in two 
volumes quarto ; prepared several articles for 
Constable's new edition of the " Encyclopaedia 
Britannica" (one of the bookseller's great na- 
tional works), and the letter-press descriptions 
to " Provincial Antiquities and Picturesque 
Scenery of Scotland," besides contributions to 
reviews, magazines, &c. 

By permission of a highly- valued correspon- 
dent, I shall here introduce some paragraphs 
which occur in a letter just received from Dr. 
Lappenberg, formerly Hanseatic Minister at Ber- 
lin, and now Archivarius at Hamburgh. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF SCOTT. 217 

July 16th, 1836. 
" The image of Sir Walter Scott forms one of 
the most delightful recollections of my earlier 
years. It arises from that period when, as a 
student at Edinburgh, I had the pleasure of 
making your acquaintance. I remember how he 
received the young German at his house in 
Castle Street, with that meek grace spread over 
his mighty genius, like the transparent cloud 
through which mortals can gaze less unsteadily at 
the sun ! At that first interview, he took occasion 
to express his pleasure in having an opportunity 
of acknowledging to one of Germany's youngest 
and unknown sons, the obligations he felt under 
to our national literature. Never shall I forget 
the affability with which I was met in that hall 
crowded with targets, claymores, and guns; a 
degree of attention and kindness suitable rather 
for a distinguished stranger than a humble 
student ; whilst, at the same time, Mr. Scott's 
demeanour, instead of being like that of a ' great 
lion,' or ' literary Colossus,' might have answered 
well for the lowly Vicar of Wakefield ! So 
marked, yet so unaffected, was this humility, that 
one might suppose the ' Great Unknown' was 
still unknown to himself. Yet, at this period, 
he had already published all his best poetry, 
and the earlier, in my humble opinion the best, 
of his novels. 



218 RECOLLECTIONS OF SCOTT, 

" I remember Mr. Scott at various dinner- 
parties, comprising persons of very different 
habits and tastes, yet all of whom were unani- 
mous in expressing their delight at the impres- 
sions left by his conversation. If I may be 
allowed the metaphor, I would say his dis- 
course resembled one of the brilliant waterfalls 
of Switzerland, or his own beloved country ; 
not only because it never ceased to be powerful 
and resplendent, but because, in common with 
those sublime works of nature, it owed nothing 
of its effect to art or artifice, and possessed the 
same magical influence over every human heart. 
I remember him at the houses of his more con- 
genial friends, like yourself, cheered and animated 
still more by the sparks of genius radiating from 
convivial associates, old Henry Mackenzie, Mr. 
William Erskine, Mr. Adam Ferguson, the Wil- 
sons, James Ballantyne, and others, whose names 
do not at the moment occur to me. I remember 
him sitting for hours in company with Mrs. 
Grant of Laggan, and other venerable persons, 
endeavouring to revive their recollections of times 
long gone by, and enjoying the reminiscences of 
their youth apparently more than they them- 
selves did (the poet's privilege), and rendering 
them so happy to be able to tell him some his- 
torical or biographical trait that had hitherto 
escaped his researches ! Though a foreigner, and 



BY DR. LAPPENBERG. 219 

at that time not much versed in British, much 
less Scotch history, I never felt more interested 
than when he spoke on this favourite theme. 
The spirit of Herodotus seemed transfused into 
the Scotch poet. I ought not to omit, in my 
remembrances of him, the kindness he evinced 
to a poor countryman of mine, Henry Weber. 

" But no recollection is more lively and vivid 
than that of a voyage I had the good fortune 
to make in his society from Edinburgh to Lon- 
don. He had the kindness, when he heard of 
my intention of going thither, to suggest that I 
should take my passage in the same vessel, and 
be of his party, which consisted of his daughter, 
Mr. William Erskine, and a few other intimate 
friends. He had brought with him Dolinger's 
* Alexis von Mainz,' and some other German 
poems, with the intention of looking them over 
with me. But the inexhaustible attractions and 
liveliness of his conversation did not allow us 
to make any progress in reading. He had not 
read much of German poetry, but had profoundly 
studied some of the best ; and had, if I mistake 
not, translated Goethe's i Egmont,' and various 
poems of Burger, which he never published. 
During the voyage, he often spoke of his in- 
tention to visit the field of the battle of Leipsig, 
and to write a poem about it ; but he contented 
himself, I believe, with the battle of Waterloo. 



220 RECOLLECTIONS OF SCOTT, 

Mr. Erskine kept awake his interest in Scotch 
historical anecdotes, being himself profound in that 
lore. Miss Scott gave us some delightful Scotch 
songs, especially some old Jacobite ones, which 
her father cherished beyond all t others. Mr. 
Erskine having observed, that the printing of 
such ballads within British territory, was con- 
trary to law, Mr. Scott directly suggested that 
Mr. Konig was then on board of our vessel with 
one of his newly-invented printing presses, which 
were afterwards employed at newspaper - offices 
in London. He insisted that, as the learned 
counsellor (so he styled Mr. Erskine,) had in- 
terdicted the printing of these memorabilia on 
shore, there was now an excellent opportunity 
of putting some of them to press on the lawless 
sea, for which purpose he requested the assistance 
of the German artist. Thus some copies of 
1 Over the water, and over the sea/ with two 
or three of the same class, were actually printed 
off Scarborough Head, as expressed at the 
bottom of the leaf, which I still possess among 
my keimelia. 

" The most remarkable circumstance, how- 
ever, attending our passage, is, that on the second 
evening a storm was threatening, of which the 
younger and inexperienced passengers were 
kept ignorant. We were sent early to the cabin ; 
and, from the rolling of the vessel, and great 



BY DR. LAPPENBEEG. 221 

noise on deck, I spent a very restless and un- 
comfortable night. Next morning I learned 
from the captain, Mr. Erskine, and others, that 
the storm had been a very dangerous one. The 
captain, mate, and crew, had lost all self-posses- 
sion, and nearly despaired. Mr. Scott, how- 
ever, had remained on deck during all the com- 
motion, assuming the part of the ' pilot who 
weathered the storm;' and to his inflexible 
courage and steadiness, his persuasive and en- 
ergising eloquence, the vessel and her passen- 
gers owed their narrow escape. 

" Upon our arrival in London (1815), Mr. 
Scott was immediately drawn into the vortex of 
fashionable society. I never afterwards had the 
good fortune to meet this most amiable man 
and distinguished luminary of modern literature, 
but always felt deeply interested, as I do now, 
in recalling the image of that Sun, which then 
set to me, not to rise again on this side of the 
grave." 



222 PECUNIARY INVOLVEMENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

PECUNIARY INVOLVEMENTS THE BILL SYSTEM PROFITS 

OF THE NOVELS UNPARALLELED INDUSTRY — ENTHU- 
SIASM FOR LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 

I have said above, that the web of Scott's 
destiny was now woven, though he himself knew 
it not ; and in these words I alluded to pecuniary- 
difficulties, which, in his case, as it has happened 
in numberless others, took their actual rise and 
commencement at the very time when he seemed 
to be most prosperous. The author of " Waver- 
ley" lived on a scale of liberal, if not profuse 
expenditure. His family having grown up, in- 
creased his disbursements. He had begun, and 
was resolved to finish, his mansion of Abbots- 
ford; besides, he wished to purchase more land, 
to which plans his official income was unequal. 
But in Constable he now found a ready sup- 
porter, who, at last, proved his ruin. The bar- 
gains with this bookseller were now almost in- 
variably made through Mr. James Ballantyne, 
the printer, who himself mainly depended on 
Constable's aid. I believe the latter was kept 
in ignorance who had written the Waverley 



THE BILL SYSTEM. 223 

novels till some years later, when concealment 
became out of the question. 

Having thus alluded to James Ballantyne, I 
must observe, that a character of more sterling 
integrity, or more friendly disposition, never 
existed. As he was by no means of an over 
sanguine temperament, it is possible that, by 
following his advice, the subsequent pecuniary 
embarrassments might have been avoided. But 
printers live by booksellers, and Constable's 
wealth and sagacity were then looked on as 
unimpeachable. Even till within a few weeks or 
days before his bankruptcy, his real circum- 
stances were concealed from all the world except 
the bankers, whose only chance of indemnity 
depended on keeping the secret. Yet by this 
time (1816), it is probable that the bookseller 
was himself in difficulties far greater, had the 
truth been told, than those which induced John 
Ballantyne to become an auctioneer. To counter- 
balance this, however, he had a host of powerful 
friends, and ample credit, therefore could discount 
bills at the Scotch banks to almost any extent. 
The large sums necessarily embarked in great 
literary undertakings — encyclopedias, statistical 
accounts, histories, &c, which, he delighted to 
say, were of national importance, and which 
brought slow, though sure returns, — this alone 
afforded him a ready and plausible apology for 



224 PROFITS OF THE NOVELS. 

having recourse to the bill system, which, per- 
haps, no one with a capital equally slender, ever 
carried on to so great an extent. Very soon 
did Constable perceive the advantage he could 
derive in this branch of his operations through 
his connexion with Sir Walter Scott, provided 
only the latter would adopt, or sanction, the bill 
system also ; and, unfortunately, through the 
mediation of Mr. Ballantyne, who, with the most 
honourable intentions, was himself deceived as 
to the bookseller's circumstances, the author of 
" Waverley" was induced to do so. The novels 
were extremely profitable ; so were the earlier 
poems, of which new editions were constantly 
called for, and remuneration must be made. 
Constable and Co. had no great stock of hard 
cash, but would liberally accept Mr. Scott's 
draft (or that of Mr. Ballantyne, as representa- 
tive of the " Great Unknown,") for 5000/. at 
twelve months, provided the poet would only 
endorse another for a like amount, or, perhaps, 
for only 3000/. which would be, pro tempore^ 
of service to the bookseller, who had a con- 
venient opportunity to discount it at a different 
bank, or, perhaps, through a private friend. 
Meanwhile, in return for this accommodation- 
system, Constable was a most discreet, politic, 
and indefatigable trumpeter of the praises, both 
of Sir Walter Scott, and the unknown author of 



UNPARALLELED INDUSTRY. 225 

" Waverley;" that is to say, he gave out that 
the sale of their works was enormous ; and, by 
mysterious hints, made it be understood that 
the purchase-money of a Waverley romance was 
never less than 8000/. or 10,000/.; at which rate? 
taking the lower average, the whole series of 
novels (independently of other literary produc- 
tions) must have brought to the author two 
hundred thousand pounds ! At best, the trade, 
or amusement, whichever it is to be called, of 
authorship, will not yield returns like this : but, 
if people believed it, so much the better ; and as 
to the sale of these novels being altogether un- 
precedented, there could be no doubt. The 
public were mystified ; bankers, and even book- 
sellers, were mystified ; and, probably, those who 
were behind the scenes, and ought to have un- 
derstood the matter, were mystified also. That 
the author himself was so, there could be no 
doubt, otherwise he never would have acted on 
principles which ultimately led to his becoming 
an absolute martyr. 

After the publication of " Waverley," and for 
the last seventeen years of his life, Scott was 
so constantly before the eye of the public as 
an author, and so watched in all his movements, 
that it may seem superfluous to make any re- 
marks on his literary career. Reckoning the 
number of volumes that he produced in this 
Q 



226 UNPARALLELED INDUSTRY. 

space of time, and considering, not merely their 
bulk, but the quality of the composition, it may 
be doubted if there is any individual on record who 
would even stand a comparison with him in point 
of literary energy. I shall at present name only 
the seventy-four volumes of original romances ; 
but, if the histories, biographies, poems, critiques, 
and newspaper articles of the same period, were 
all reckoned up, and it is remembered how much 
of every day was given to other employments, I 
believe that, on reflection, the facts of the case 
will appear hardly less than miraculous. Those 
readers at least who, in this book-making age, 
are themselves accustomed to literary labour, 
will not think this expression exaggerated. He 
wrote nearly as much as any religious scribe of 
the middle ages (who lived only to write) could 
have accomplished, and yet appeared to live only 
for the every day and conflicting duties of the 
world. Besides, in order to prove successful, 
the composition of novels must be " easy read- 
ing;" but, alas! it is not always easy writing. 
On the " toujour s perdrix" principle, to com- 
plete twenty-four, or even twelve pages of an 
original story every day, whilst many other 
laborious tasks are, also, to be fulfilled, becomes 
at last a very formidable engagement. When 
contradicting, as usual, the assertion that Scott 
was the author of " Waverley," James Ballan- 



ENTHUSIASM FOR LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 227 

tyne used to add, " It was inconceivably strange 
that people should insist on fathering these novels 
on an individual who obviously and clearly had 
no time for any such employment ! " 

In order to counteract the injurious effects of 
so much application, he used, when at Abbotsford, 
a great deal of exercise. The frequent change 
of air and scenery from Edinburgh to Tweedside, 
and vice versa, was very beneficial ; and the 
training of his young plantations alone proved 
a constant source of amusement out of doors. 
By no landed proprietor, perhaps, was the pas- 
sion ever so strongly entertained to have goodly 
trees of his own rearing ; and, if he had not been 
able to add by purchase the neighbouring hills 
to his original farm, I almost believe he would 
have requested permission of the owners to 
plant the grounds for the mere pleasure of the 
occupation, and to beautify the landscape. He 
even trenched the ground in which his trees were 
set, in order to quicken their growth ; coaxed, 
pruned, weeded, and watched them, until with 
great glee, in 1815 (having begun in 1811), he 
observed, " I am not just arrived at the point 
of saying that I can walk under the shade of 
my own trees, but I could lie under their shade, 
at all events ; and this is something ! " 



228 CONVIVIAL HABITS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

CONVIVIAL HABITS MORAL SUPERIORITY ABSENCE OF 

MIND, OR ABSTRACTION REMARKS ON THE NOVELS. 

With all these advantages, a malady was now 
lurking in his frame, which, in 1818, gave the 
first severe shock to his otherwise powerful 
constitution. The vexatious attendance at the 
parliament-house, cheerfully as he bore it, ill 
accorded with literary pursuits. He used al- 
ways, at two o'clock, to walk home from court 
to his own residence, and sometimes did com- 
plain that, for the rest of the day, he was too 
much "jaded" either for work or exercise. Yet, 
when alone, he resumed his labours, though 
ready at all times to bear a share in social and 
convivial duties, to which I often thought he 
made more than sufficient sacrifices. He was, 
it is true, particularly temperate ; though, looking 
at his careless and jovial aspect over a glass of 
champagne with congenial friends, one might 
suppose him a bon-vivant ; yet, none ever de- 
pended less for enjoyment on the mere pleasures 
of the table, and of no one could it be more 
truly said, that he " ate to live, and did not live 



MORAL SUPERIORITY. 229 

to eat." Many times, however, when I have met 
him at late and crowded parties, which he 
thoroughly disliked, and remembered that he 
would, notwithstanding, be at work next morning 
quite as early as usual (if in winter, kindling his 
own fire to spare the servants), I have regretted 
the inroads thus unnecessarily made on his consti- 
tution. On such occasions, reversing the German 
proverb, that umkraut vergeht nicht ("weeds do 
not perish"), I have, with an involuntary fore- 
boding, said to myself, that Scott was too good 
to live long ! To those who really knew his 
character, and are aware how inestimable his 
life and welfare were to all his connexions, this 
feeling will not appear strange ; though others, 
perhaps, may deem it fantastic. 

The usual meaning attached to the French 
adage, that " no man is a hero to his valet de 
cliambre" was completely negatived and reversed 
in regard to the author of " Waverley ;" for 
those who knew him most intimately, were by 
far the most perplexed and puzzled by the 
question, how he could fulfil so many conflicting 
duties, and acquit himself in all departments so 
much better than other people ? His excellence 
in romance-writing might be explained. From 
early youth he had delighted in the study of 
history, in collecting old ballads and antiqua- 
rian curiosities, and in preserving memoranda of 



230 ABSENCE OF MIND, 

remarkable characters. These memoranda were 
patiently accumulated, perhaps without any im- 
mediate object except that of the entertainment 
they might afford to one who delights in labour 
for its own sake ; but these early pursuits gave 
him an immeasurable advantage over other 
novelists. The romance-writing was an affair 
of art, as well as of innate and peculiar talent ; 
and he himself often maintained, that whoever 
would fix his attention firmly on a subject, and 
work without looking to the right or left, would 
accomplish as much. But one could not so 
easily explain his unparalleled command of tem- 
per, which it was scarcely possible to ruffle, far 
less to overset ; or the readiness with which he 
submitted to multiplied tasks, which must have 
been excessively irksome, without even owning 
that they were tasks ; or his unconquerable spirit 
and courage combined with the most playful 
gentleness ; or the methods by which he gene- 
rally got over difficulties from which other minds 
would have shrunk in utter perplexity and dis- 
may. 

One peculiarity of character was a consider- 
able degree of absence, as it is usually termed, 
resembling that of Lord President Blair, who 
had forgotten that his clerk's name was Thomson. 
During the long hours spent every day in the 
parliament-house, his mind was often as com- 



OR ABSTRACTION. 231 

pletely abstracted from the existing scene around 
him as if he had been in another world ; though 
I must admit, that this did not happen unless 
when he knew that his immediate attention to 
the judges could be dispensed with. A long 
speech of a stupid, dreaming, tiresome advocate, 
was in that respect very serviceable, as it al- 
lowed him an interval of perfect leisure. He 
would never, like the late Dr. Coventry, or 
Professor Hamilton of Aberdeen, walk out un- 
dressed, imagining that he had his clothes on, 
or answer a tort et a travers in conversation ; 
but he would sometimes wander out of his way, 
forgetting where he was, and completely ab- 
sorbed in thought ; so that, if an unfencecl coal- 
pit had been in the neighbourhood, the odds 
were fearfully against his personal safety. One 
moonlight night (it was in 1825), I found Sir 
Walter standing in a newly built street on 
the outskirts of the town, apparently in a deep 
reverie. " I was considering," said he, " what 
it is best to do. I have been at one party, and 
was engaged to another ; but look at these 
habiliments ! It happened, by a most ludicrous 
chance, and to my own very great surprise, that 
I found myself, a few minutes ago, lying at the 
bottom of a wet gravel-pit, from which I have 
just emerged ; and, 1 believe, it is indispensable 



232 REMARKS ON THE NOVELS. 

to steer homewards and refit, otherwise the whole 

discourse at old Lady 's route will consist 

of explanations why the unfortunate lion appears 
in such bad condition ! " At this he laughed 
heartily ; and such was the amenity of temper 
with which, until the fatal years 1831 and 1832, 
he used to bear, not merely the petty irritations, 
but the greater trials of life. Another peculiarity 
was, that in his own manuscripts, though having 
the clearest conception of what he intended to 
say, he would set down one word for another, 
sometimes the very opposite of what it ought to 
be ; as, for example, June for January ; and for 
names, especially Christian names, his memory, 
otherwise so tenacious, seemed to have actually 
no place ; so that he would superscribe a letter 
with Ralph instead of Richard, even to a well- 
known correspondent. 

On the effect of the novels, or their various 
merits, it would be superfluous to dwell. Each 
one, as they followed in rapid succession, seemed 
better than its precursor ; and they were allowed 
to possess even more of intense life and natural 
energy than the poems. Every character was 
so clearly conceived, and so vividly brought 
out, as to form a portrait of which the reader 
could never tire. Even the more ordinary 
scenes or dialogues in these early novels, such 



REMARKS ON THE NOVELS. 233 

as did not, from their relation to the story, 
demand any great attention from the author, are 
yet touched with a hand so masterly, as to re- 
mind one of the best specimens of De Hoog as a 
painter ; and, if the reader has by chance seen 
an original gem of that artist, he will readily 
grant the propriety of the allusion. 

After all, the touchstone of a good novel con- 
sists in the question, whether, after the mystery 
has been solved, it will bear a second or third 
reading ? No work, of which the interest de- 
pends on mystery alone, instead of resulting from 
vivid conception of character and situation, will 
bear this test. By its application, moreover, it 
will soon appear that such works are of very rare 
occurrence. The reader who has once admired 
" Guy Mannering," « Rob Roy," the " Anti- 
quary," the " Bride of Lammermuir," the " Le- 
gend of Montrose," and " Old Mortality," may 
read them again with unabated interest number- 
less times. Coleridge said, that he always re- 
verted to these books when low spirits or ill 
health required a mental cordial. In this re- 
spect, perhaps, the "Antiquary" is best; so 
perfect are all its pictures, so varied and intense 
the interest, that one might almost make it a 
constant companion, as Parson Adams did with 
iEschylus. Some of Fielding's and Smollet's 



234 REMARKS ON THE NOVELS. 

best novels will bear the same repetition of 
reading. So will " Don Quixote," and " Gul- 
liver's Travels;" and, perhaps, the comic ro- 
mances of the " Brown Man " in Germany : 
though their humour would hardly bear trans- 
lation. But the number in the aggregate is very 
limited. 



ATTACK OF SERIOUS ILLNESS. 235 



SECTION IV. 



THE SERE AND YELLOW LEAF. 



CHAPTER I. 

ATTACK OF SEItlOTJS ILLNESS FORTITUDE UNDER ACUTE 

SUFFERINGS PERSEVERANCE IN THE USE OF IRKSOME 

REMEDIES CONTINUANCE OF LITERARY LABOUR CON- 
VALESCENCE AND PERFECT RECOVER!' IN 1820. 

It happened all of a sudden, in the year 1818, 
that Scott was attacked by a most severe and 
(as it eventually proved) tedious illness. He 
had one of his usual dinner-parties, at which 
he appeared in good spirits. Additional guests 
arrived in the evening ; and, during a musical 
performance, he became so ill from cramp in 
the right side, that he withdrew to his bed-room. 
The circumstance was so completely unprece- 
dented in his house, he was so unaccustomed to 
utter the least murmur on the score either of ill 
health or worry, that all who knew him were 
exceedingly alarmed. The disorder was a violent 
spasmodic attack, attended with frightful pain ; 



236 FORTITUDE UNDER ACUTE SUFFERINGS. 

the first of a series of such paroxysms to which 
he was at intervals liable for more than a year. 
Feeling himself quite disabled, he yet did not 
forget his guests, but sent a message to Mrs. 
Henry Siddons, that nothing would do him so 
much good as to hear her sing, and nothing 
would annoy him more than to think that the 
festivity of the evening should be broken up in 
" most admired disorder," merely because he was 
attacked by a trifling indisposition, which would 
be better in the morning. Medical assistance 
was, of course, directly obtained, and the com- 
plaint was pronounced formidable, requiring the 
utmost quiet and caution in order to prevent 
inflammatory symptoms ; but, according to his 
request, the music and supper-party proceeded 
as if no interruption had occurred.* 

* On that evening a good and characteristic trait was 
elicited from the Ettrick Shepherd. Mr. James Ballan- 
tyne, who walked home with him from the party (to 
which, by the by, he went uninvited), happened to ob- 
serve, " I do not at all like this illness of Scott's. I have 
often seen him look jaded of late, and am afraid it is 
serious." " Haud your tongue, or I'll gar you measure 
your length on the pavement ! " replied Hogg. " You 
fause, down-hearted loon, that you are ; ye daur to speak 
as if Scott were on his death-bed ! It cannot be, it must 
not be ! I will not suffer you to speak that gait." The 
sentiment was like that of Uncle Toby at the bed-side of 
Le Fevre; and, at these words, the shepherd's voice be- 
came suppressed with emotion. 



FORTITUDE UNDER ACUTE SUFFERINGS. 237 

For several days afterwards Scott continued 
to struggle with excruciating pain, and was re- 
duced to great weakness, which, however, did 
not prevent him from resuming at intervals his 
ordinary employments. In about a week he was 
pronounced out of danger, and advised to go 
into the country, though his convalescence could 
not be secured without adherence to very strict 
regimen, and severe medical discipline. 

The first attack, if I remember right, happened 
some time in winter, or early in spring. In the 
following summer, before the session closed, I 
recollect meeting Sir Walter in Charlotte Square, 
mounted on a low Highland pony, " riding," as 
he said, " for the wholsomes, which occupation 
he detested as much as any man could do." He 
then looked nearly as ill as during his last malady 
in 1831. He was worn almost to a skeleton ; 
sat slanting on his horse, as if unable to hold 
himself upright ; his dress was threadbare and 
disordered ; and his countenance, instead of its 
usual healthy colour, was of an olive-brown — I 
might almost say, black tinge. Yet, from that 
meeting, though a friend who was with me 
thought that Scott would not live for another 
month, I derived the conviction of his recovery. 

" The physicians tell me," said he, " that mere 
pain cannot kill ; but I am very sure that no 
man would, for other three months, encounter 



238 IRKSOME REMEDIES. 

the same pain that I have suffered, and live. 
However, I have resolved to take thankfully 
whatever drugs they prescribe, and follow their 
advice as long as I can. Set a stout heart to 
a stey brae, is a grand rule in this world." 

The day, though in summer, was cold and 
bleak ; but the sun shone through a bank of 
clouds, and the invalid's eye lightened as he 
pronounced the last words. Three days after- 
wards I heard that his recovery was despaired 
of, but I did not despair. I wrote to him, 
earnestly recommending a certain mode of treat- 
ment, the same which ultimately was adopted 
by advice of the late Dr. Dick, at Abbotsford ; 
namely, a slow alterative course of medicine, 
with very frequent use of the warm bath ; which, 
at last, eradicated the disorder. 

But the conflict was long and doubtful. That 
summer almost every one believed, on his de- 
parture from town, that he would never return. 
In truth, had it not been for his own uncon- 
querable spirit, joined to the utmost patience 
and equanimity, no medical treatment, however 
skilful, could have been of any avail. Exercise, 
he knew, was of importance ; therefore, of his 
own free will, he persevered in its use, though 
motion always exasperated the pain. At Ab- 
botsford, in the autumn, he became so much 
worse, as to be not only unable to mount the 



CONTINUANCE OF LITERARY LABOUR. 239 

pony without assistance, but even to sit up- 
right without the help of a servant on each side 
to support him. Still he persevered : and, after 
continuing this practice for several weeks, he felt, 
as he said, " very proud when he was once more 
able to ride a little way by himself ; " and, from 
the day on which he first did so, his recovery 
might be considered certain. For a long time 
afterwards he was subjected to the same strict 
regimen, and had occasional attacks ; but the 
violence of the disorder gradually abated, till 
at length it disappeared altogether. 

I have dwelt on this period of his life because 
it afforded such marked examples of his patience 
and indomitable spirit ; and, strange to tell, 
during the severe conflict with illness, he scarcely 
for one entire day relinquished his literary tasks. 
Among many kindly intended lectures on the 
necessity of hard work, he observed to me, in 
1820, " It is my conviction, that, by a little 
more hearty application, you might forget, and 
lose altogether, the irritable sensations of an in- 
valid ; and I don't, in this instance, preach what 
I have not endeavoured to practise. Be as- 
sured," he continued, " that if pain could have 
prevented my application to literary labour, not 
a page of " Ivanhoe" would have been written ; 
for, from beginning to end of that production, 
which has been a good deal praised, I was never 



240 CONVALESCENCE AND PERFECT 

free from suffering. It might have borne a 
motto somewhat analogous to the inscription 
which Frederick the Great's predecessor used to 
affix to his attempts at portrait-painting when 
he had the gout : ' Fredericus I. in tormentis 
pinxit.' Now, if I had given way to mere feel- 
ings, and ceased to work, it is a question whether 
the disorder might not have taken deeper root, 
and become incurable. The best way is, if 
possible, to triumph over disease by setting it 
at defiance, somewhat on the same principle as 
one avoids being stung by boldly grasping a 
nettle." In truth, his literary employments ad- 
vanced more quickly during illness, as he had 
not so much interruption as usual from visitors. 
The third series of " Tales of my Landlord," 
which appeared in 1819, was followed so rapidly 
by the romance of " Ivanhoe," that it seemed as 
if, like the German La Fontaine, he had at- 
tained the art of dictating to two secretaries, and 
carrying on two stories at one time. To dic- 
tating of original composition he had always a 
particular aversion, but was now under the 
necessity of employing a scribe, his own scrolls 
being almost quite illegible. Both " Ivanhoe," 
and the " Bride of Lammermuir," were com- 
posed whilst he yet laboured under that painful 
disorder ; and the duty of amanuensis was ful- 
filled alternately by Mr. William Laidlaw and 



RECOVERY IN 1820. 241 

the late Mr. John Ballantyne. Frequently in 
the midst of the humorous scenes with old 
" Caleb Balderstone," the convulsive paroxysm 
would return, and his sufferings were most 
acute ; but after the fit, he would cheerfully 
and quietly take up the story by the catch-word, 
and proceed as if there had been no interruption. 
Thus the malady was resisted and overcome ; 
and, in the course of 1820, he appeared so 
thoroughly renovated in constitution, that his 
friends fondly trusted he might equal in longevity 
his friends, Henry Mackenzie and Sir Robert 
Liston, and continue his literary pursuits for 
even thirty years more. But, alas ! as Drum- 
mond of Hawthornden predicted of his own 
illness, 

" Truce ta'en to breathe 
For late-born sorrows augurs swift return." 

Only twelve more years of life were granted 
to him; and, as already said, I doubt whether, 
in the whole range of biography, an example 
could be found of another individual who, in an 
equal space of time, fulfilled so many, so diver- 
sified, and conflicting duties. 



242 GERMAN LITERATURE. 



CHAPTER II. 

RENEWED INTEREST IN GERMAN LITERATURE JOHN KEM- 

BLE SCOTT RECEIVES HIS RANK OF BARONETCY ATTACKS 

UNJUSTLY MADE ON HIS CHARACTER — THE KING'S VISIT 
TO SCOTLAND ABBOTSFORD. 

At this period he took a lively interest in the 
specimens of modern German literature which 
were then published, and which, he said, " opened 
such a wide field for a labourer in the Teutonic 
mines, that he regretted not having a small drop 
out of St. Leon's bottle, in order to grow young 
again, and join in the work." This he spoke 
en badinage^ in order to encourage one who then 
worked with some assiduity in the said mine, 
but whom illness, poverty, and persecution, has 
long since disabled. " The grand desideratum," 
he observed, " with regard to these German 
poets and philosophers, is to disencumber their 
meaning of its enormous envelope of useless 
words, and bring out some clear and sparkling 
ore from the dross, such as our dreaming, dawd- 
ling friend, has contrived to produce in several 
instances. Yet I fear he is himself somewhat 
inclined to mysticism, which will never do for 



JOHN KEMBLE. 243 

a writer of fiction ; no, nor of history, nor moral 
essays, nor sermons ! Every man either has, 
or thinks he has, troubles enough of his own 
to bother his brains; and both rich and poor, 
when they take up a book, must have something 
absolutely clear and striking, which they under- 
stand directly, otherwise the volume is thrown 
aside, or sets them to sleep. We must take 
human nature as we find it, and make the most 
we can of such materials." 

Considering the tasks which, though self-im- 
posed, always weighed on him imperatively, it 
was worthy of special remark, how happily Sir 
Walter could, now and then, adapt his talents 
to composition of occasional verses, and essays 
of temporary interest ; though, it must be owned, 
he had an extreme dislike of such occupa- 
tion, and always declined it when suggested. 
One of the most notable instances in this re- 
spect occurred when the late lamented John 
Kemble retired from the stage at Edinburgh. 
A particular wish had been expressed that Sir 
Walter would write a farewell address. He 
directly called on Mrs. Kemble to say, that 
those very feelings which would induce him, 
had it been in his power, to contribute some 
lines, would prove the means of rendering the 
task impossible. Being quite su!-e that he could 
not write any thing on the subject which would 



244 JOHN KEMBLE. 

be tolerable in his own estimation, far less that 
of others, he must altogether decline the attempt. 
Notwithstanding all this, on the very next morn- 
ing, by ten o'clock, Mrs. K. was agreeably sur- 
prised by receiving those well-known lines, — 
perhaps the most affecting, classical, and ap- 
propriate, which were ever produced for such 
an occasion. Yet, if I recollect right, they were 
accompanied by a note, apologising for having 
acquitted himself so poorly, and hoping that 
the will would be accepted for the deed. Among 
various theatrical characters in whom Scott took 
an interest, Kemble was the only one truly con- 
genial ; for, not only were his private habits and 
pursuits altogether those of a scholar and a 
gentleman, but, by sterling good sense, intrinsic 
worth, and kindness of heart, the most perfect 
naivete^ joined with decision and perseverance 
truly Roman, lastly, a vein of quiet humour 
irresistibly comic, he merited, as he enjoyed, 
the steady friendship of the " Great Unknown." 
In 1819 or 1820, I forget which, occurred the 
marriage of his eldest daughter with Mr. Lock- 
hart, and the appointment of the present Sir 
Walter to a commission in the army. From this 
date, onwards to the year 1825, his life was 
spent in assiduous labour, but also in the most 
uninterrupted happiness and prosperity. In 
1820, appeared the "Monastery" and "Abbot," 



RECEIVES HIS BARONETCY. 245 

and in January 1821, " Kenilworth ; " so that, 
not forgetting " Ivanhoe," here were four ro- 
mances^ of three volumes each, completed within 
twelve months ; and, had Constable's house been 
in reality solvent (of which, at this period, no 
one entertained even a shadow of a doubt), the 
clear gain must, without any exaggeration, have 
been a very large sum. As matters stood, the 
use of large sums was obtained at all events, and 
enabled him to realise his favourite plans at 
Abbotsford, both as to the purchase of land for 
plantation, and the final decorations of his 
house, where he now lived in a style of princely 
hospitality. Within this year, also, he visited 
London, and received the rank of baronetcy 
from that amiable sovereign who, with his usual 
discrimination of character, had already several 
times invited Scott to private dinner-parties, 
made him a present of a gold snuff-box, and 
invariably expressed towards him the most cor- 
dial friendship and sincere respect. 

I believe it was Lavater, in his aphorisms, who 
said, that if a man has no enemies, this, alone, 
suffices to prove that he himself is good for 
nothing. It is a sweeping, but not a groundless 
remark; and, among the senseless attacks that 
reptiles occasionally made on the author of 
Waverley, it has been alleged, that he addicted 
himself too much to the society of the great, 



246 ATTACKS UNJUSTLY MADE 

and, in a word, was a tuft-hunter. Of all lite- 
rary men that ever existed, Scott was the very 
last to whom such an imputation could be appli- 
cable. As it has been observed in Frasers 
Magazine for August 1834, he was invariably 
the sought, and not the seeker. If such cavillers 
had reversed their mode of censure, and affirmed 
that he associated with, and conferred services on 
persons too much beneath him in rank, and un- 
worthy of his patronage ; this (though likewise 
very erroneous) would not have been so wide of 
the mark. The humblest and most disastrous cir- 
cumstances would not deter him from encourag- 
ing talent, and giving due praise to innate 
worth ; whilst, as a patron, instead of seeking 
distinction, he unalterably shrank from the re- 
sponsibility of being looked on as such. 

As to his political views, however much others 
may differ in opinion, assuredly they were de- 
rived, not from prejudice or vanity, but from 
fixed principles and firmly established convic- 
tion, which no motives of self-interest would 
have induced him to abandon. 

The next five years gave rise to no less 
than seven romances or novels, amounting to 
twenty -three volumes, of which all — but espe- 
cially the " Pirate," the " Fortunes of Nigel,'? 
and " Quentin Durward " — shewed unabated 
vigour, with the same unaffected charms of style 



ON HIS CHARACTER. 247 

and forcible conception of character, that ani- 
mated his earlier productions. 

In 1822, Sir Walter took a leading part in the 
arrangements made to welcome the king on his 
visit to Scotland, when he evinced all that buoy- 
ancy of spirit and enthusiasm, which, more than 
twenty years earlier, had marked his conduct as 
quarter-master of the Mid-Lothian yeomanry 
corps. The occasions, no doubt, were very dif- 
ferent ; but the good tact, ardour, and perse- 
verance, displayed by Scott, were the same, and 
proved that his mind still possessed all its youth- 
ful elasticity. The period of the king's visit 
formed a grand and effective jubilee ; and, look- 
ing at the author of Waverley as he then 
appeared, no one could have formed the most 
distant surmise of the cruel reverses which were 
so soon to overtake him. 

By this time, Abbotsford house and grounds 
were almost completed as they now exist, and 
formed a point of attraction to wandering pil- 
grims of all ranks, and from all countries, whose 
visits were occasionally much more numerous than 
welcome. By such imbecile cavillers as I have 
already mentioned, Scott has always been blamed 
for his love of aristocratic display, and his wish to 
" sink the author" in the preferable character of 
an independent country gentleman. The ac- 
cusation is both inconsiderate and unjust; for 



248 ABBOTSFORD. 

display was not his object ; vanity was never his 
ruling principle. He purchased and adorned 
Abbotsford precisely as he collected books and 
antiquities — not for show, but because they 
afforded him rational and permanent enjoyment. 
As a matter of taste, or source of pleasure, 
what pursuit on earth can be more harmless and 
elegant than that of landscape - gardening and 
architecture ? Nor is it to be considered as an 
affair of taste only ; for, whoever embarks his 
fortune in the formation of a country residence 
and grounds, finds himself in the station of a 
petit souverain, with the power of conferring 
incalculable benefit both on his own tenantry 
and the surrounding neighbourhood. It is a 
sphere of utility, as well as pleasure. This 
reminds me, en passant, that, instead of em- 
ploying artists from London or Edinburgh, for 
the interior decorations of his house, he con- 
trived, in such manner, to instruct ordinary 
workmen from the neighbouring villages, that 
they completed all his best furniture, and even 
executed rich carvings in wood, after Gothic 
models, in a style so masterly, that they often 
wondered at their own handicraft. Such were 
the effects of the same perseverance and in- 
genuity by which he excelled in literature, only 
applied to different purposes. 

The detractors, already noticed, who censured 



ABBOTSFORD. 249 

Scott for aristocratic notions and habits, did not 
choose to remember, that he was not merely 
a clansman, but member of an old border family 
of the highest consideration, and might be ex- 
pected to inherit dispositions naturally conse- 
quent on such birth. In ancient times the 
knight returned from the wars, and was re- 
compensed by his sovereign with a grant of 
land, and money to build a fair castle. Probably, 
Abbotsford was the first, and may be the last 
estate of any consequence, actually won and 
purchased by the pen of an imaginative author ; 
and it certainly was a very pardonable ambition, 
if Scott, having thus gained money by the pen 
instead of the sword, chose to live at his own 
house in a style such as became the descendant 
of an old border baron. 



250 PECUNIARY MISFORTUNES IN 1825. 



CHAPTER III. 

SUDDEN PECUNIARY MISFORTUNES IN 1825 MR. CON- 
STABLE'S FAILURE CHANGED ASPECT OF THE HOUSE IN 

CASTLE STREET _ DEMON OF PANIC CALUMNIOUS AT- 
TACKS — sir Walter's perfect equanimity. 

By recollected conversations and memoranda of 
particular days, this memoir might have been 
expanded to three times its present length ; but 
circumstances now, as formerly, oblige me to close 
it within a certain space ; and I must, therefore, 
devote my remaining pages to the last six years 
of his life. In 1825, every one who had any 
judgment or discrimination in commercial affairs, 
perceived clearly that there was a storm ap- 
proaching. The system of raising money with 
extreme facility, even on the most absurd specu- 
lations, had been carried to such extent, that the 
over-blown bubbles must, at length, burst, and, 
in their explosion, create the utmost confusion 
and dismay. Sir Walter Scott, though ostensibly 
holding the rank of an independent country 
gentleman, was, by the number of his indorsa- 
tions on the bills of Constable and Co., rendered 
liable for their commercial engagements to the 



MR. CONSTABLE'S FAILURE. 251 

amount of at least 100,000/., an appalling sum 
to be demanded of an individual whose entire 
effects, if brought to the hammer, would, pro- 
bably, not realise even 10,000/.; for the whole 
estate of Abbotsford had already been assigned 
to the present Sir Walter on occasion of his 
marriage. 

The recent facility in raisi ng money had been 
exactly suited for the mode of conducting busi- 
ness adopted by Mr. Constable, who, though 
quite aware of existing difficulties, always in- 
dulged in day-dreams, that, by some grand 
speculation, he would retrieve all the past. To- 
wards the end of the year 1825, however, it 
became nearly impossible for him to effect re- 
newals of the bills already current. Among 
Scotch bankers, indeed, this might be done on 
the principle of intimidation, as they perceived 
that a refusal would cause immediate bank- 
ruptcy; but, in London, the only resource was 
among brokers and usurers. With, apparently, 
the most perfect calmness, Mr. Constable, who 
was then an invalid, remained principally at his 
country-house, organising the plan of his " Mis- 
cellany," by which original idea he plainly saw 
that large profits might be realised ; for it was 
the very first of those cheap monthly or quar- 
terly publications which, afterwards, caused an 
absolute revolution in the book trade, and by 



252 CHANGED ASPECT OF THE 

which, in the aggregate, enormous sums have 
been gained. The work was to start with the 
" Life of Napoleon by the Author of Waverley ;" 
and the projector took great delight in blazoning 
the prospectus of his future volumes, having 
engaged the most eminent authors in the king- 
dom to write on the topics he suggested. That 
bankruptcy might have been avoided, and the 
affairs of the house retrieved, I doubt not ; but 
changes occurred in London so sudden and so 
fatal, that not one, even among the most 
cautious and considerate, could have foreseen 
so violent a catastrophe. The panic then spread 
like wild-fire : by next Christmas, some of the 
London failures cut off resources which he had 
looked upon as certain ; and, in the beginning 
of 1826, he stopped payment, leaving enormous 
debts, to which the assets were comparatively 
nothing. 

In the winter of 1825, I frequently met with 
Sir Walter Scott, and, at an interview in Castle 
Street, two months before Constable's bank- 
ruptcy was known, or even dreamed of, he 
predicted the changes which soon afterwards 
took place in the commercial world, and partly 
explained the methods which he had himself 
adopted in order to weather the storm. But, 
with the clearest remembrance of that conversa- 
tion, I am thoroughly convinced that Sir Walter, 



HOUSE IN CASTLE STREET. 253 

up to the time of Mr. Constable's examination as a 
bankrupt, remained in profound ignorance how the 
estate would turn out, and what would eventually 
be his own liabilities. He was prepared for a severe 
ordeal, and seemed perfectly tranquil; but, had 
he accurately known the extent of the difficulties, 
probably his arrangements to meet them would 
have been very different. 

It may seem fantastic, — but, although at this 
time, Sir Walter Scott continued apparently in 
good health and spirits, I could not help entertain- 
ing somewhat of a mournful impression from the 
changed aspect of his house in Castle Street, — 
his original cell, as he termed it ; and, truly, 
among the regular monks of old, there were 
few that worked so hard, even by way of 
penance, as he did, without speaking of his own 
labours, as if they had been more than salutary 
mental exercise " to procure night's rest and 
banish ennui /" This house had so long been 
the central repertorium of his literary and anti- 
quarian treasure ; it was then always so light 
and cheerful, one could not enter it without 
being saluted by the sounds of the harp, and 
remarking a general aspect, — a je ne sais quoi 
of prosperity ; nor could one leave it, after an 
interview with its owner, without feeling himself 
" a happier and a wiser man !" This aspect, 
however, was now changed. Having removed 



254 CHANGED ASPECT OF THE HOUSE IN 

all his books to Abbotsford, he no longer sat in 
the apartment which formerly contained them 
but in a small drawing-room above stairs ; where 
the most conspicuous object was a cast from the 
skull of King Robert Bruce, as it had been 
discovered at Dunfermline Abbey — a relic on 
which he looked with great veneration, having 
placed it on a black marble pedestal with an in- 
scription. Perhaps it was only this rather 
spectral object, which I had not seen before, 
together with the sombre atmosphere of a 
November day, that excited my gloomy re- 
flections. 

It may seem that, in this hasty sketch, I have 
said more than enough of his transactions with 
booksellers; for which, however, the reason is 
obvious : for thence, as an indirect, though un- 
avoidable consequence, followed the sacrifice of 
his health and life. From the year 1826 to that 
of his death, the records of his existence are, in 
truth, only the records of a martyrdom ; though, 
till 1831, the trials were endured with such for- 
titude and spirit, that, to ordinary observers, he 
might seem prosperous as ever. In the month 
of January 1826, it became apparent, that on 
his exertions alone must depend the liquidation 
of all the bills accepted by Constable and Co., 
and bearing his indorsation ; so that at the age 
of nearly threescore, he had to do the work of 



CASTLE STREET DEMON OF PANIC. 255 

his previous life over again. Nor, at this period, 
was the disposition to shew lenity and forbear- 
ance by any means unanimous among his 
creditors. The demon of " panic" (for terror 
is sometimes a fierce passion !) and the demon 
of avarice were abroad, and hardened almost 
every heart. Even the grossest calumny and 
misrepresentation could not be avoided, though it 
is almost superfluous to observe, that his paltry 
assailants, in that department, only exposed their 
own malignity without effecting their amiable 
purpose. By such enemies it was asserted, that 
Sir Walter must have been aware of the ap- 
proaching insolvency at the time when he as- 
signed Abbotsford to his eldest son ; consequently, 
that transaction was a fraud on his (or rather 
Constable's) creditors. 

I remember this being inadvertently said one 
day in the presence of a literary friend, who 
despised the aggressor too much to lose temper, 
and very calmly replied, " Suppose your first 
position granted, though, to say the least, it is 
a most erroneous assumption ; yet, before the 
fraud is established, you must prove that Sir 
Walter will not, and cannot find means to pay 
the debts, and this I defy you or any man to do." 
It is almost needless, in this place, to remind 
the reader that, before Sir Walter's death, the 
enormous load of claims (which, had payment 



256 CALUMNIOUS ATTACKS. 

depended on the bookseller's estate, must have 
been quite desperate) was reduced to about one- 
third ; so that the books, pictures, plate, and 
curiosities, which had been placed under trust, 
were offered back to him by the creditors ; and 
that, his frame being untimely worn out in the 
struggle to effect this object, he died, without 
leaving any fortune to the junior members of his 
family. 

Having stated that Sir Walter Scott did not, 
in the hour of adversity, escape malignant 
attacks, I must not omit to add, that these 
proceeded only from a few despicable indivi- 
duals ; while the creditors, who had most at 
stake, and whose voices had most influence, 
even objected to the sacrifices he was inclined 
to make, and would, from the first, have been 
contented with a moderate composition. But, 
calmly and resolutely he contemplated the liqui- 
dation of the debts to the utmost fraction. His 
own words, daily and hourly repeated, were, that, 
" as long as God granted him life and health, 
he should never feel averse to labour. For 
many years he had been accustomed to hard 
work, because he found it a pleasure ; now, 
with all due respect for Falstaff's principle, 
' nothing on compulsion,' he certainly would 
not shrink from work because it had become 
necessary." With regard to Constable's failure, 



sir Walter's perfect equanimity. 257 

he was never heard to utter the slightest mur- 
mur ; on the contrary, when others blamed the en- 
terprising publisher for deception and chicanery, 
he remarked, that such conclusions were some- 
what rash, as it was impossible to know how 
far the unfortunate bankrupt had himself been 
deceived. So determined was Sir Walter Scott 
to overcome the difficulties by his own resources 
and' exertions, that, although at this period a 
very large sum was placed at his disposal, by a 
friend who chose to remain anonymous, he re- 
turned it to the bankers from whose hands it 
came, with a letter gratefully acknowledging, 
but steadily declining the favour. 

The winter of 1825-6, both in London and 
Edinburgh, was a painful and dreary one to 
all but the rich, who, instead of being annoyed 
by the changes, derived only the additional 
amusement of bolting and barring their gates, 
and raising their voices, against almost hourly 
applications for aid, which lent a piquancy and 
zest to their own welfare and comforts, otherwise 
unattainable. Among such opulent and careless 
individuals, not one, during the crisis, appeared 
more calm and collected than Sir Walter Scott, 
though the fortune, which he had toiled to 
win, was utterly gone. To his honour be it 
recorded, that the political letters published at 
this date, under the signature of Malgrowther, 



258 sir Walter's perfect equanimity. 

had very great influence in protecting Scotland 
from that fatal change in the monetary system, 
with respect to one -pound notes, which, in 
England, up to the present hour, is so justly 
regretted. During the winter session of 1826, 
he formed all those arrangements to which he 
afterwards steadfastly adhered ; gave up his 
house and furniture in Edinburgh to the auc- 
tioneer; insured his life in favour of creditors, 
for a large sum (25,000/., I believe), and signed 
a trust deed over his own effects at Abbotsford, 
including an obligation to pay, in cash, a certain 
sum yearly, until the debts were liquidated. 



DEATH OF LADY SCOTT. 259 



CHAPTER IV. 

DEATH OF LADY SCOTT — SALE OF PROPERTY SIR WALTER'S 

HABITS ON RETURNING TO EDINBURGH IN MAY 1826 

REDOUBLED INDUSTRY LIFE OF NAPOLEON VISIT TO 

PARIS. 

Having entered into these contracts, he left 
town, as usual, for Abbotsford. But the evil 
days had now arrived : and, as misfortunes do 
not come single, Lady Scott's health, which, 
from nervous irritability, had long been uncer- 
tain, became hopeless ; and, in the beginning of 
May, she died. With the inflexible persever- 
ance of a soldier on duty, Scott returned in 
a short time to the routine of his employ- 
ments at Edinburgh ; one difference in his 
habits being, that he now worked almost without 
intermission. During his absence, the property 
in Castle Street had been brought to the 
hammer — a step which, I think, never should 
have been adopted. It took place, indeed, by 
his own consent ; but his trustees and creditors 
should scarcely have permitted, in this case, 
the realisation of the scene described at the close 
of Guy Mannering, nor permitted an auctioneer 



260 sir Walter's habits on his 

and a rabble to trespass on that " cell," wherein 
the author of" Waverley" had so long resided, 
and to which he felt no slight local attachment. 
The only indication of regret I ever heard him 
betray on the subject, was the expression of 
dislike to pay a visit in the immediate neighbour- 
hood, because he would have to walk past the 
threshold of what had been his own house. 

On his return to town, in the month of June, 
being alone, he established himself at a third-rate 
lodging in St. David's Street, such as might be 
considered suitable for a humble student attend- 
ing the university. Here, at the very first meeting, 
when I found him busily engaged in writing 
after dinner, I could not help predicting that, 
by such application (though he did not seem to 
feel it), health must eventually be undermined. 
It is true, that literal labour had been to him 
a pleasure, aud he could persevere in it to any 
extent : but now, if weariness or pain did result, 
he was no longer at liberty to attend to such 
warnings ; a very long task was before him, and 
whatever might be the consequence, he must 
proceed. Moreover, business of all kinds in- 
creased on his hands ; and the letters, which he 
had every day to acknowledge, were alone a suffi- 
cient burden : but he went through them without 
hesitation, making obvious efforts in his replies 
to use as few words as possible, and, from haste, 



RETURN TO EDINBURGH IN MAY 1826. 26L 

often falling into verbal inaccuracies. Great as 
were his exertions afterwards, I have always 
thought that to the domestic affliction, the 
painful impressions, and incessant labours of the 
year 1826, was imputable the break of his 
constitution, though the injury was not then 
apparent. In St. David's Street he kept earlier 
hours than ever ; and sometimes in one morning, 
before the meeting of court, at ten o'clock, he 
had finished an entire sheet of twenty-four 
pages for the printer. His hand-writing was 
now so small and cramped, that one of his 
ordinary quarto pages made, at least, double 
that amount in print; and, " after all," he ob- 
served, " it was really no great exploit to finish 
twelve pages in a morning." But on his return 
from the Parliament House, however wearied he 
might be, the task was again resumed. Seldom 
receiving any company, he scarcely sat for a 
quarter of an hour at dinner, but turned directly 
to his writing-desk, being anxious, he said, to 
take all possible advantage of the long days, 
and " make hay while the sun shone." The 
most remarkable of all his peculiarities on such 
occasions, was that, however heavy the task 
might be, and however much he became pressed 
for time, there never appeared the slightest flurry 
or irritation in his demeanour ; he never seemed 
vexed or in a hurry, but, with a sort of smile 



262 REDOUBLED INDUSTRY. 

on his countenance, took up the pen and went 
on, to all outward appearance, as willingly as 
if the whole had been for his own amusement 
merely. 

Finding, by reiterated experience, that what- 
ever he wrote, whether in prose or verse, nar- 
rative or criticism, now brought large remune- 
ration, Scott had materially departed from his 
former principles respecting authorship as a trade 
or profession. He seemed to entertain the no- 
tion, that whoever was not absolutely devoid of 
learning and talent might, by sufficient drudgery, 
realise a good income from literary pursuits ; and 
even recommended this resource to some of his 
friends, who had also suffered during the "panic," 
as a means of repairing their broken fortunes. 
How fallacious was this belief, I need not here 
pause to explain. The " nee studium sine divite 
vend " of Horace, is again applicable. There 
must be the vivida vis, the perfervidum genium, 
as well as good sense, and the disposition to 
" drudgery." But let all these be combined 
together and exerted to the utmost, yet, if the 
author is poor, and depends merely on his own 
abilities, the result will still be as doubtful as the 
fate of any ticket in a state lottery. I know not 
any record which illustrates this truth more 
forcibly than the late Mr. Dallas's memoir of 
Lord Byron. The struggles and even artifices 



REDOUBLED INDUSTRY. 263 

to which the author of " Childe Harold," though 
neither poor nor friendless, was at first obliged 
to have recourse,- in order to obtain even a 
hearing, or enjoy the brittle chance of success, 
were indeed humiliating and wretched. Equal 
evidence of this fact is afforded by his own letters 
in Moore's life of the poet. In 1826, "Wood- 
stock " was the novel that Scott had immediately 
on the anvil ; and, as might have been expected 
under such unfavourabe circumstances, did not 
rank among his best productions. Its appearance 
was delayed by an absurd demand made by Con- 
stable's assignees, for the completion of the work 
in their favour, on the ground that bills had 
been granted for this romance. Sir Walter very 
coolly said, that the promises to pay having 
unfortunately proved nugatory, the promises to 
write could not be held binding ; at all events, 
the remainder of the book (of which only a 
small part had been printed) was " in his head, 
and there it should remain till he saw good 
reason for sending it forth." The matter was 
submitted to arbitration, and he was allowed to 
finish the novel for the benefit of his own 
creditors. 

The work that now principally occupied his 
attention wa& the " Life of Napoleon," re- 
specting which he had entered into a contract 
with the booksellers, and which, at first, he 



264 LIFE OF NAPOLEON VISIT TO PARIS. 

expected to be able to finish in about six 
months. Without a moment's reflection on 
the state of his health, he continued to urge 
forward this task ; and the progress he made 
in it during next vacation at Abbotsford, was 
so rapid, that he became more than ever im- 
pressed with the idea, that mere industry, and 
the habit of keeping the pen always in hand, 
might overcome almost any worldly difficulties. 
I believe one main - spring of his success, as an 
author, consisted in the hearty resolution and 
fervour with which he embarked in every em- 
ployment, and which produced such complete 
abstraction, that the labour progressed insen- 
sibly. Lavater, and others, have pretended to 
judge of character by mere autographs ; and the 
state of nerves and feelings may certainly be 
guessed at. In all Scott's manuscripts, till 
the fatal year 1831, there are unequivocal indi- 
cations of uncommon firmness, calmness, and 
rapidity. 

The summer of 1826 passed over in a state 
of seclusion and outward tranquillity, such as 
he had not known for years ; and he received no 
visitors, except the most intimate friends. But, 
in the month of October, he very judiciously 
resolved to make a short tour to Paris ; without 
which diversity and relaxation, it is probable 
that, in the ensuing winter, his health would 



VISIT TO PARIS. 265 

have completely broken down. This afforded 
him an opportunity of obtaining some data re- 
specting the more important parts of Napoleon's 
life, which could not otherwise have been sup- 
plied ; but the main advantages were change of 
scene and exercise. As a traveller, whether by sea 
or land, he was the best of companions ; and seemed 
only amused by circumstances which, to a regular 
John Bull, habituated to the comforts of his own 
square parlour and elbow-chair, his red moreen 
window-curtains, Turkey carpet, roast beef, and 
port wine, are serious evils. Accordingly, he 
derived much exhilaration from this journey, 
though teased at Paris by honours and com- 
pliments which he would much rather have 
escaped. 

On his return to Edinburgh, he took a fur- 
nished house in Coates' Crescent, where, in 
December, I found him in good spirits, though 
suffering great pain from rheumatism ; a warning, 
perhaps, that the mode of life he adopted was 
one which could not be persevered in without 
serious injury. Notwithstanding this, he never, 
for a day, relaxed from his labours ; and, though 
fatigued at night, complained of inability to 
sleep. " Yet," as he observed, " how can any 
one expect to sleep, who uses no bodily ex- 
ercise? And betwixt the parliament-house and 
this endless ' Life of Napoleon,' exercise with 



266 VISIT TO PARIS. 

me is out of the question." Within the follow- 
ing vacation-time, however, the whole nine 
volumes of the Life were completed ; thus wind- 
ing up a task, by far the most irksome he had 
yet encountered, principally from the conviction, 
that the haste in which he was obliged to write 
must inevitably prevent him from doing adequate 
justice to such an enormous mass of materials. 
But the success, in a pecuniary point of view, 
was quite commensurate with his expectations. 
The booksellers paid a large sum (not less than 
14,000/. I believe) for the copyright ; and the 
circulation of the book being immense, both at 
home and abroad, they had no reason to repent 
of their bargain. 



RENEWED HOSPITALITY. 267 



CHAPTER V. 

RENEWED HOSPITALITY BENEVOLENCE — WAVERLEY MASK 

AND MANTLE THROWN ASIDE CONDUCT OF CREDITORS 

VISIT TO LONDON IN 1828. 

Thus, more than 1100/. per month had been 
realised during the first year after those com- 
plicated misfortunes by which the courage of any 
ordinary man would have been completely over- 
thrown. Hence he was able to commence liqui- 
dation of the debts in such manner as entirely 
to silence those paltry defamers of his character, 
who had the insolence to assert that Abbotsford 
was assigned in order to defeat the just claims 
of creditors. Once more his health was ap- 
parently quite firm ; and constant occupation, 
instead of exhausting, seemed to give buoyancy 
to his spirits. His former habits of life in regard 
to hospitality were, in a great measure, resumed ; 
and he sometimes reverted to his old axiom, 
that three hours per diem, if sedulously em- 
ployed, were enough to secure a good literary 
income. But new and incongruous labours 
crowded upon him, and he flinched from no 
ta^k : on the contrary, he even wrote occasional 



268 MASK AND MANTLE THROWN ASIDE. 

contributions to periodical works, by which he 
did not profit ; in order, by this means, to lessen 
the distresses of those whom, out of his own 
regular income, he could no longer assist. " It 
is but the sacrifice of a little sleep and exercise," 
he said, on one of those occasions ; " and if only 
this article, as it is called, will do the poor man 
any real good, I shall think myself well rewarded. 
But there are people in the world, who have 
such an unfortunate alacrity in sinking, that it 
is impossible, by any efforts, to buoy them up." 

I had almost forgotten that, in the beginning 
of the year 1827, the mask and mantle of the 
author of " Waverley" were thrown aside; but 
the circumstances of the Theatrical Fund din- 
ner, Lord Meadowbank's speech, and Sir Walter's 
reply, have been so often repeated, that it is 
needless to dwell on the subject here. The 
disclosure had a fortunate effect on his reputa- 
tion ; for, till then, the rumour had been very 
general that the late Mr. Thomas Scott, or some 
other friend, had a share in the composition of 
those unequalled fictions ; whereas, it now ap- 
peared that they were wholly and exclusively 
his own. The new monthly edition of the Wa- 
verley novels, with annotations by the author, 
M-as a most fortunate idea, which naturally arose 
out of this eclaircissement ; and, as half the 
profits were allowed to Sir Walter, it formed a 



CONDUCT OF CREDITORS. 269 

new sinking-fund for creditors. But, as he con- 
scientiously fulfilled his duty of editorship (if it 
may be so called), and corrected every sheet, it be- 
came a much more serious undertaking, in point 
of time and labour, than he at first calculated. 
The next heavy task which he encountered, was 
a history of Scotland (not published till 1830) 
for Dr. Lardner's Cyclopaedia. I forget how 
much was the honorarium for that work, but 
it must have been a considerable sum. The 
years 1827, 1828, 1829, and 1830, each pro- 
duced its original romance ; and within the same 
space of time he wrote the nine volumes of 
" Tales of a Grandfather," and one volume of 
dramatic poetry, besides being a frequent con- 
tributor to the " Quarterly Review," the " Foreign 
Quarterly," and many other works. His Letters 
on Demonology, which appeared in 1830, have 
been already noticed. 

Still, with all his exertions, successful as they 
were ; although, even for some old scraps, 500/. 
were offered and paid by the proprietor of a 
successful annual ; and although even a speci- 
men of his handwriting was transmutable into 
gold among people who, perhaps, would not 
have given a penny for any other autograph, — 
there was yet always on his mind the corroding 
impression, that the debts, though materially 
diminished, were not liquidated. It is, indeed, 



270 CONDUCT OF CREDITORS. 

a prevalent characteristic of creditors, that, al- 
though they would declare themselves satisfied 
at once with a small portion of their demands 
if promptly paid — and they were firmly told 
that they could obtain no more — yet, when a 
gradual process of reduction is commenced, for 
the sake of liquidating in full, their principles 
entirely change, and they look with feverish 
anxiety to the receipt of the last fraction. Even 
had it been possible to forget this actual state 
of affairs, yet, now and then, instances of rapacity 
and spite occurred, which painfully forced on 
him the reflection that he " did not read his 
own books, nor eat with his own spoons." One 
of Constable's creditors, a London Jew (holding 
a bill endorsed by Sir Walter Scott), had, in 
the autumn of 1828, nearly upset all the arrange- 
ments previously agreed on, by persisting in his 
refusal to accept, even pro tempore, any part 
of his claims. Others might do as they liked, 
but he would either have the whole, or take all 
the advantages that the law, on a bill of ex- 
change, allowed him. However, the claim of 
this worthy was set aside on a proof of usury, 
and he was glad to accept any terms. In ad- 
dition to all such annoyances (as no one on 
earth entertained greater affection for his own 
family, including his grandchildren, than Sir 
Walter Scott), he was tormented by the ap- 



VISIT TO LONDON IN 1828. 271 

prehension that, in all probability, his life would 
close before he had been able to provide means 
of leaving them any adequate fortune. On all 
occasions of trial and suffering, the degree of 
immediate pain depends much on previous habits 
and circumstances. By fortitude and patience, 
it is true, the utmost pressure may be sustained 
with apparent calmness and indifference ; yet, 
alas ! that fortitude and patience will not prevent 
the natural consequence of pressure in exhaust- 
ing strength and engendering disease. 

During the spring of 1828, Scott resided 
some time in London, at the house of his son- 
in-law, where he appeared, for an interval, to 
forget all his cares ; nor did he decline accepting 
the invitations which every day crowded on him 
from individuals of the highest rank. Notwith- 
standing this gaiety, he never failed to execute 
his usual task of writing in the early hours of 
the morning ; and, as Mr. Lockhart observed, 
" while to spectators it appeared that his whole 
time was occupied with visitors and banquets, 
he actually covered more paper with manuscript 
than many an author who staid in town for no 
other purpose but that of literary labour." Nor 
did the constant and, indeed, harassing atten- 
tions shewn to him by the great, prevent his 
finding leisure to visit such acquaintances as 
were now in obscurity, poverty, and affliction ; 



272 VISIT TO LONDON IN 1828. 

for of such the wide world of London, of course, 
afforded a share : and at one house, I remember, 
where sickness and sorrow then prevailed, his 
carriage might be seen almost daily. Enough 
has been said already of the foolish attacks made 
on Sir Walter for his aristocratic spirit, but I 
may be excused for repeating that, in his own 
conceptions of the character of a gentleman, he 
never forgot the leading principles of the cava- 
lier, whose primary duty is to raise the fallen, 
and assist the distressed. As already observed, 
however, his attentions in this respect were by 
no means indiscriminate ; and he would exact a 
good deal of exertion and fortitude from a pro- 
tege, being himself (in his own phrase) a " hard- 
working man." 



author's last visit to abbotsford. 273 



CHAPTER VI. 

AUTHOR'S LAST VISIT TO ABBOTSFORD — LIBRARY AND 

MUSEUM DOMESTIC HABITS AND REGULATIONS THE 

ARMOURY — RECOLLECTIONS OF SIR WALTER^ CONVIVIAL 
SPIRIT MR. CHARLES K. SHARPE — REMARKS ON BOOK- 
MAKING — SIR EGERTON BRYDGES — BARON DE LA MOTTE 
FOUQUE. 

It was in the autumn of 1829 that I paid my 
last visit to Abbotsford, of which place I have 
given no particular description in this memoir, 
for the obvious reason, that so many accounts 
have been already published ; whereas, of the 
owner's character and habits I have not seen 
any sketch that appeared to me satisfactory. 
With regard to Abbotsford, indeed, a descriptive 
catalogue of the curiosities, with the legends or 
traditions attached to each, is yet a desideratum ; 
for which, however, it is doubtful if any sur- 
vivor could supply the requisite information. At 
present, I should rather wish (but the wish is 
vain) that it were possible to convey to my 
reader the impressions caused by a visit to that 
abode during the lifetime, and in the presence, 
of its owner. Beyond the gates you had an 

T 



274 LIBRARY A.ND MUSEUM. 

extensive park, laid out on the best and boldest 
principles of landscape-gardening, as applicable 
to forest scenery ; while, within doors, you were 
surrounded, in every apartment, with objects 
calculated, not only to realise the cherished 
visions of romance, but to awaken all those as- 
sociations which, to the historian, the biographer, 
and antiquary, are the most valuable and in- 
teresting. In these brief words may be summed 
Up the description of Abbotsford ; but, go thither 
now ; and, though the objects within and with- 
out are the same, yet the impressions to which 
I alluded, and vainly wished to convey, are gone 
for ever : the spell is broken : and the scene, 
however beautiful, breathes only melancholy and 
desolation ! 

No; it was not the beauty of the grounds, 
nor the elaborately finished apartments, which, 
in the owner's lifetime, principally impressed the 
mind of a visitor at Abbotsford; but the un- 
avoidable consciousness of being within reach, 
and under the direct influence, of that mighty 
magician, who had originated these and many 
other imperishable memorials of his genius. If 
any fantastic ornaments of the architecture, any 
rusty dagger, or, perhaps, nondescript article in 
the museum, or picture on the walls, excited 
curiosity, you knew that Sir Walter could give, 
not only the authentic history of the single ob- 



DOMESTIC HABITS AND REGULATIONS. 275 

ject in question, but, in all probability, this would 
be followed by a string of interesting legends, 
which, if they could be found elsewhere, it would 
cost years to collect. When he happened to be 
in good spirits, and at leisure, a solitary old 
spleuchan, or matchlock, would serve as the text 
for an almost complete history of the Highland 
clans ; and, if you had in view any literary pur- 
suit requiring investigation, and were consult- 
ing a book in the library, he would immediately 
weave together a mass of evidence, remind you 
of every author whose works deserved attention, 
and throw more light on the subject in ten 
minutes, than, if left alone among books, you 
could have obtained for yourself in as many 
months. 

I have used above the words unavoidable con- 
sciousness, because, whether the said magician 
were actually present, or shut up in his own 
sanctum, or wandering in his favourite woods, — 
you were reminded every moment, in one shape 
or another, of his benign sway through the whole 
establishment, and all the " goings on " of the 
household. I cannot explain myself better on 
this point, than by observing, that, at Abbots- 
ford, there was an utter absence of all those 
petty annoyances which, less or more, exist in 
the best regulated families ; while to visitors, 
whose pursuits and dispositions were, in any 



276 DOMESTIC HABITS AND REGULATIONS. 

degree, analogous with those of their kind host, 
every wish was not only met, but anticipated. 

According to Rousseau's axiom, our " best 
virtues depend on trifling precautions ;" and 
I am half inclined to illustrate my present 
position by the mention of some outward 
trifles in the menage, which the reader may, 
perhaps, think absurd and ludicrous ; for ex- 
ample, gas-light, writing materials, and the con- 
duct of servants ! But I do this on the principle, 
ex uno disce omnes. Never, perhaps, was any 
one more lenient to domestics than Sir Walter, 
and yet no one was ever better served. His 
own conduct insured such profound respect and 
attention, that, moving with noiseless, though 
rapid tread, they seemed intuitively conscious of 
whatever he or his guests required. Even good 
old John (who by this time was superannuated), 
although, by nature, inclined to hard-drinking, 
was scarcely ever known to indulge in his 
favourite propensity, unless when entirely off 
duty, and his aberrations could not possibly 
interfere with his master's comfort or interest. 

Now, for the second illustration of domestic 
arrangements on Rousseau's principles, though 
for this I shall probably be laughed at. Else- 
where, when on a visit, you may wish to 
write a letter, or commence an epic poem ; but 
should you have forgotten to bring your own 



DOMESTIC HABITS AND REGULATIONS. 277 

writing implements, are referred to my lord's 
library table, where he is, perhaps, himself 
occupied; or to my lady's writing-desk in the 
drawing-room; with the exception of which, per- 
haps, a whole establishment, though supported by 
twenty or thirty thousand pounds per annum, could 
not afford any better means and appliances than 
the loan of a blacking-bottle from the servants' 
hall (the steward's ink-pot being nailed to his 
desk). This may seem caricature, but I have 
known the whole realised. At Abbotsford, on 
the contrary, not only each table in the recesses 
of the library, but in every sleeping apartment, 
had its port-feuille, with store of paper, pens, 
ink, and sealing-wax. Match-box and taper to 
those who knew the ways of the house were 
unnecessary, for it was a practice to keep the oil- 
gas burning, though at so very low a degree, 
that unless the stop-cock were touched, the 
consumption was insignificant, and the flame 
imperceptible. In the large antique dining- 
room there hung a very beautiful lustre, which 
in spring and autumn was always lighted, though 
invisibly, before dinner; and on the approach 
of darkness, instead of the usual interruption 
and parade of servants bringing candles, the 
full blaze of light could be produced, as if 
magically, by a single touch, or moderated to 
any degree. 



278 THE ARMOURY. 

With regard to the mansion itself, the room 
that always seemed to me the most imposing 
and effective, is the front hall, or armoury — so 
faithful are its imitations, or, I should say, reno- 
vations of genuine old models, so massive and 
sombre is the style, and so rich the collection 
of objects interesting to an antiquary. A whole 
morning might be well employed in examining 
this one apartment, with a cicerone that knew 
all its history. It is about forty feet long, 
has a tessellated pavement of black and white 
Scotch marble, and a noble roof in rich Gothic 
arches. Here, as in the rest of the mansion, 
though the general plan was, of course, original, 
Sir Walter Scott adopted the system of forming 
details; that is to say, roofs, fire-places, windows, 
and doors, by precise copies from the veritable 
antique : and wherever it was possible to employ 
actual portions of old buildings, either in wood 
or stone, they were, of course, used in pre- 
ference. In the hall, if I mistake not, the 
richly carved panels of black and imperish- 
able oak were brought from the ruins of Dun- 
fermline palace or abbey ; and the immense fire- 
place was exactly modelled after that of an exist- 
ing old castle. I cannot imagine a scene more 
poetically impressive than this room, especially 
when viewed by summer moonlight. But the 
grounds were far more interesting to Sir Wal- 



sir Walter's convivial spirit. 279 

ter than his castle ; for, as already often men- 
tioned, no amateur of landscape-gardening ever 
followed that pursuit with more enthusiasm, and, 
supposing that he had been born poor, or been 
at a loss for a profession, that of land-designing 
might certainly have afforded an income, and, 
perhaps, led him on, as it has led others, to 
affluence. 

Soon after my arrival, I met Sir Walter re- 
turning from his usual ramble through the 
woods, attended by his dogs, and with a weed- 
ing hook in his hand, for the favourite amuse- 
ment of pruning trees was not recommended 
till October, when the leaves fall. At this time 
not the slightest apprehension was entertained, 
by his friends, of an unfavourable change in 
his constitution, nor were there any decided 
marks of " tear and wear." But, though his re- 
ception was, as usual, kind and cordial, yet it 
scarcely appeared to me as if he were in his 
wonted spirits, nor so cheerful as, during his 
residence at London, in the spring of the 
previous year. His health was good ; but 
there were occasional clouds of anxiety on his 
brow, and almost a shade of irritability occurred 
late in the evening, when he was reminded of 
his promise to answer some London letters, — 
" I wish," said he to Mr. Lockhart, " you would 
put me in mind, also, what those people wanted ; 



280 sir Walter's convivial spirit. 

for, truly, I have forgotten. I cannot now read 
the letters over again." 

At dinner, however, he was in the utmost good- 
humour, and disposed, as of yore, to talk only 
on subjects fitted to promote mirth. There was 
no difference, excepting that his voice was pitched 
in a lower key, and his laugh was neither so 
hearty nor so long. Whilst writing these words, 
I reflect involuntarily on numberless merry-meet- 
ings, of which I have not attempted any record 
in this brief sketch, but where his unaffected 
high spirits, unconquerable good-humour, gen- 
tleness of manner, and intense perception of the 
ludicrous, gave a tone and vivacity otherwise 
unknown to the whole party, and often pro- 
tracted conviviality to a late hour. One trifling 
example occurs to me, which happened not long 
before the period of his changed fortune. I was 
placed next to Sir Walter at an ill-assorted din- 
ner assemblage in the house of a mutual friend : 
however, the wine and provant (to borrow Dal- 
getty's phrase ) were good ; and on such oc- 
casions, so long as he retained health, Scott 
would be joyous and happy, in spite of all 
blunders, and however uncongenial might be 
the society into which he was thrown. Some 
foreigners were present, who, almost immediately 
after dinner, were called on to sing ; and, having 
once begun their performances, could not be 



MR. CHARLES K. SHARPE. 281 

prevailed on to stop again, which proved an. 
enormous bore. All of a sudden Scott turned 
to me ; and, in his rough border accent, said, 
" These gentlemen have kindly favoured us with 
so much of their country's music, that really it 
is full time we should compensate the obligation, 
and let them hear some of ours." With an 
irresistibly comic expression, he gave me the 
corner of a table-napkin to hold, and struck 
up,— 

" Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to mind ?" &c. 

It was like setting the spark to a train of gun- 
powder. All serviettes were instantly raised en 
cordon, all voices raised, all hearts roused; and 
so powerful and harmonious was the chorus, 
that, for the rest of the evening, we were not 
troubled with any more foreign cantatas. 

But, to return. A long interval had elapsed 
since I had been at Abbotsford, and he seemed 
amused with my great admiration of the magical 
changes that had taken place there, especially 
in regard to the museum of antiquities, and the 
pictures; though, in the last department, his 
expenditure was always very limited. 

" After all," said he, " I am not sure that 
I value any part of my graphic collection more 
than this very old acquaintance of yours, which 



282 REMARKS ON BOOK-MAKING. 

you praised five-and-twenty years ago." He 
pointed to a pen-and-ink sketch, by Mr. Charles 
Kirkpatrick Sharpe, of Queen Elizabeth dancing. 
" It is an unrivalled production," he added ; 
" for, though I have laughed at the old lady a 
thousand times, I can scarcely see her without 
laughing now. What excellent books, illustrated 
by his own pencil or burin, our friend Sharpe 
might have given to the world, had it not been 
for mere laziness, — that besetting sin of inde- 
pendent gentlemen, which opens the door for 
blue devils, and brings down the greatest talents 
and acquirements to a level with mere emptiness 
and folly : only with this difference — they are, 
no doubt, a source of enjoyment to the possessor, 
and in that respect Sharpe is fortunate. 

]y[ r# % % % observed, that if all those inde- 
pendent gentlemen who have cultivated minds 
were to become authors, we should have too 
many books ; and if they wrote for fame, instead 
of profit, booksellers would have their shelves 
so amply stocked for nothing, that, henceforward, 
the trade of authorship would be at an end. 

" I rather think," replied Sir Walter, " it 
would turn out like playing on the piano-forte 
or violin. Every one does so who can ; but the 
number of performers worth hearing is very 
limited, and they alone can make much money, 
or command much applause. Reflect on the 



REMARKS ON BOOK-MAKING. 283 

number of your independent acquaintances, and 
tell me how many of them are in reality qualified, 
either from acquired knowledge, or what is 
called genius, to write a good book ; and, I think, 
you will agree that there is no chance of our 
being overstocked in that department. After 
all, there not only has been, but always must 
be, a demand for books in the world ; which, to 
some people, are at least as indispensable as 
hot rolls for breakfast; though I remember poor 
Signor Corri telling me, with the gravest possible 
aspect, that, were he to commence business as 
a baker, all the world would immediately give 
up eating bread." 

After dinner he laughed heartily at the in- 
terest excited by his quaichs, a basketful of 
which was usually sent round with whisky and 
other liqueurs, from which collection every guest 
who liked a dram, selected a cup according to 
his fancy. For the information of my southron, 
or foreign readers, I must observe, that quaichs 
are a species of small drinking-cup, with two 
handles, sometimes cut out of a solid piece of 
wood, marble, agate, or ivory ; and sometimes 
constructed in mosaic, of which the most esti- 
mable specimens are those containing the great- 
est number of component parts. The value 
of those used at Abbotsford consisted in their 
antiquity, and the traditions attached to each; 



284 SIR EGERTON BEYDGES. 

according to which, one was named Prince 
Charles, another Rob Roy, and so forth. 

The conversation that day turned partly on 
politics, a subject which, with me, never makes 
any lasting impression ; on the strange malady of 
John Clerk, Lord Eldin, who, in his old age, 
had become ungovernably insane ; on the cha- 
racter of Sir Egerton Brydges, for whom Scott 
had a great regard ; on the Baron de la Motte 
Fouque, in whose writings he descried merit 
which, I imagine, was more the production of 
his own imagination, than of the baron's genius. 
But, in truth, Sir Walter had now no time to 
study the works of others ; and was so habituated 
to original composition, that reading no longer 
afforded him sufficient excitement. 

Like Napoleon, he never sat long at table, 
but removed, about eight o'clock, to the large 
and beautiful library, where ample resources of 
amusement for company were afforded by the 
musical performances of Mrs. Lockhart and Miss 
Scott, and the boundless collection of prints and 
illustrated works of every description. About 
ten o'clock, refreshments in the form of supper 
were brought in, when, usually, he asked for a 
"tankard of porter;" and, at eleven, he retired 
for the night. 



CONVERSATION A.T EDINBURGH. 285 



CHAPTER VIL 

CONVERSATION AT EDINBURGH IN DECEMBER, 1829 — SYMP- 
TOMS OF APPROACHING ILLNESS, WHICH, IN THE AUTUMN 
OF 1831, FEARFULLY INCREASED — LOW SPIRITS AND 

DECLINE SIR WALTER'S LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN 

SCOTLAND, AT A POLITICAL MEETING, IN 1831 DOCTOR 

ABERCROMBY. 

In this hasty memoir, I have aimed principally 
at giving a faithful account of Scott's character, 
and daily habits of life ; in regard to which I 
shall, probably, not incur blame for having 
noticed even the merest trifles. I have, also, 
explained, perhaps at more than sufficient length, 
the nature of those involvements that proved, 
ultimately, the direct cause of his illness and 
death, which, though unsuspected, were now 
fast approaching. Next winter, in the month 
of December, I waited on him at his house in 
Shandwick Place, Edinburgh, to take leave be- 
fore setting out on a long journey, and was 
more than ever impressed with the idea, that 
his habits of unremitting application must prove 
destructive. I did not venture any remarks on 
that point, however, but inveighed against the 



286 CONVERSATION AT EDINBURGH, 

Court of Session, and asked, whether a principal 
clerk, like a judge, was not entitled to his full 
salary, without performance of duty, after a 
certain number of years' service ? 

" I am sure," said he, " your suggestion is 
kindly meant, and yet I am half inclined to 
scold a little, because it seems as if you adopted 
the principle that people may recoil from duty 
whenever it becomes not quite convenient or 
agreeable. Now, setting aside the question of 
honour, the truth is, that, to have what we like 
in this world, we must often do what we dislike ; 
a maxim which I recommend to your serious 
consideration. However, as to my own case, 
I have become so perfectly habituated to at- 
tendance in court, that, as long as health con- 
tinues, I am not entitled to tax my country for 
pay without working. Again, as to the trade 
of scribbling, which has devolved on me to a 
rather unusual extent, are there not times when 
I must ask myself the question, ' Were it not 
for this, what esle should I do ? ' What resource 
should I have when .off duty in the winter days, 
unless, like our friend Robert Hamilton, to play 
whist without intermission ? Rely on it, the 
pains or pleasures of this life depend mainly on 
the animus, the volition with which our acts are 
accompanied ; and, were a man doomed to play 
at whist for seven hours a day, you would soon 



IN DECEMBER, 1829. 287 

hear him grumbling as if he were condemned 
to the treadmill. Our duties would seldom be 
very disagreeable, if we did not perversely re- 
solve to think them so. Reflect on this doctrine, 
for it may be of use where you are going." 

He seemed to derive some amusement from 
a rather grotesque account I gave him of a 
literary aspirant, who had recently been un- 
fortunate, but whose overweening arrogance 
rendered him, perhaps, more an object of ridicule 
than commiseration. " I have no doubt," said 
he, " our friend * * * * will, to the last, per- 
sist in averring and believing that he is the worst 
used man in the world, and will never, for an 
instant, admit that his own conduct has been 
otherwise than immaculate. Vanity first en- 
gendered the ' clouds that lower upon his house.' 
How fortunate for him would it have been, had 
he taken my advice ten years ago, when, by 
following the steps of his worthy ancestors, and 
improving a small competence, he might have 
paved the way for arriving, in time, at the 
dignity of provost in his native town ; whereas 
now, the result will be at best only the honour, 
such as it is, of supplying materials for another 
chapter in D'Israeli's calamities of authors. The 
fortuitous success of one article proved his ruin. 
Self-conceit was henceforth mistaken for inspira- 
tion, and excitement for energy. So, he must 



288 SYMPTOMS OF APPROACHING ILLNESS. 

needs try his fortune in London, imagining, 
perhaps, that he would there become a centre 
of admiring circles ; instead of which, he is driven 
aside, and, in astronomical phrase, left amid the 
obscure and nondescript nebulce." 

At this meeting, there was perceptible an en- 
tirely new shade in Sir Walter's character, from 
which I augured no good. Formerly, he would 
attach less importance to fifty pounds, than a 
more rigid arithmetician to five ; but now he 
appeared anxious and fretful about pecuniary 
affairs, even in regard to small sums. The next 
year was one of heavy tasks, not merely those 
which were published, but those which he partly 
wrote, and which his literary executor will, of 
course, commemorate. But, in his once favourite 
season of autumn, 1830, he began to experience 
bodily disorders, which were not, as before, at- 
tended by severe pain, but were symptomatic 
of organic derangement and decay. - The pres- 
sure for the last six years had been too violent, 
and the motion too incessant for the springs of 
life. I have called his fate a martyrdom ; for, 
although mental anxiety or emotion may be a 
slow, yet there can hardly be a surer way of 
causing death. Incessantly, though imperceptibly, 
it wastes, weakens, and corrodes the nervous 
system till paralysis begins, and one organ after 
another is disabled. That, with all his outward 



LOW SPIRITS AND DECLINE. 289 

calmness, he must have endured intense anxiety, 
is obvious ; for, as no one had a more acute and 
chivalrous sense of honour, or entertained more 
attachment for his family, he was, no doubt, 
haunted by continual apprehensions of leaving 
his engagements unfulfilled. This high and 
proud sense of integrity was marked in Novem- 
ber this year, when, on his retirement from 
office (which he now felt to be necessary), Earl 
Grey's government offered him the full salary, 
instead of the usual portion allotted in such 
cases. He respectfully acknowledged the in- 
tended favour, but would accept of no more 
than had been allowed to his former colleagues, 
" over whom he did not feel himself entitled to 
preference." 

In the course of the winter, it became obvious 
to all his friends, that, although it was impossible 
to judge how long he might survive, or how 
much literary toil he might still undergo ; yet, all 
hopes of his perfect restoration to health must be 
abandoned. In the year 1819, he had to con- 
tend with disease, but now he yielded to decay. 
The principles of life were then strong within 
him, and the light of his mind was unquench- 
able ; but now the functions of nature were dis- 
ordered, and his mind almost perpetually clouded. 
Frequently, in the course of these pages, I have 
mentioned his unalterable good temper ; but this 
u 



290 SIR WALTERS LAST PUBLIC 

was not natural to the author of " Waverley," 
any more than it has been to other men of 
genius, but an effect of good sense and strong 
moral discipline. With acute feelings, and for- 
cible conceptions, irritability follows as an in- 
evitable consequence. Now, alas ! those acute 
feelings remained, and the strength to control 
and govern irritability was lost. His friends 
justly looked on it as the worst symptom of his 
disorder, when, instead of appearing always 
cheerful and contented, he became peevish and 
morose. Hence, even the reform bill haunted 
him like a spectre ; and he conceived that, if 
Earl Grey's measures were carried, a revolution, 
like that of France in 1790, would follow in this 
country as a matter of course ; whereas, in his 
better days, he certainly would have been the 
first to express perfect confidence in the powers 
of the conservative party to avert whatever evils 
might threaten to rise out of the self-interested 
machinations of the Whigs. 

His last public appearance in Scotland (at a 
Roxburgh county dinner in March 1831), has 
been so frequently commemorated, that it is 
needless to dwell on the subject here. His ob- 
ject in attending, was to enter his most solemn 
and energetic protest against Lord John Russell's 
bill; and he concluded an impressive speech in 
these most affecting words : " I must now take 



APPEARANCE IN SCOTLAND. 291 

leave of you, and I shall do so in the well-known 
words of the Roman gladiator to his emperor, 
' Moriturus vos salutat ! ' ' Notwithstanding 
his evident illness, and the obviously heartfelt 
sincerity with which he delivered his sentiments, 
let it be recorded, to the disgrace of human 
nature, and the infamy of a popular faction, 
that, during his speech, he was occasionally 
assailed with hisses. Yet, the extreme lowness of 
spirits which he shewed after this meeting, 
certainly need not be ascribed to the impression 
of having been treated with disrespect by in- 
dividuals for whose voices (in his own words) 
he " cared no more than for the braying of the 
beasts in the field ; " but rather to the conviction 
of his own exhausted powers, which he painfully 
felt on this occasion, and the consequent reflec- 
tion, that, as he had now taken leave of public 
life, he must, ere long, part also from those 
relations and friends whom he held most dear, 
and without having accomplished the plans in 
which they had all been led to confide. 

There is hardly any stage of decline or disease 
under which the constitution may not, for a limited 
time, rally, so as to afford hope to friends, if 
not to the patient. From this day onwards, I 
scarce think that Scott had any hopes of his own 
recovery ; but, as before, in 1819, he struggled 
nobly, and had lucid intervals (if I may use the 



292 DR. ABERCROMBY. 

expression), during which he resumed his literary 
efforts, and wrote or dictated letters to his friends. 
To his surviving relations it must be consolatory 
to reflect, that in Dr. Abercromby he had the 
most skilful, the most ingenious, and kind-hearted 
of physicians ; but at length it became apparent 
that medical treatment, in this case, could be of 
no permanent avail. The only chance left, was 
from an entire change of scene, and a very long 
journey, the fatigue of which would serve for 
employment, thus absolutely precluding him from 
those labours and anxieties which had engendered 
his malady. 



RETURN TO LONDON — VOYAGE TO MALTA. 293 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RETURN TO LONDON IN OCTOBER 1831 VOYAGE TO MALTA 

RESIDENCE IN ITALY JOURNEY HOMEWARD IN THE 

SUMMER OF 1832 ARRIVAL AT ABBOTSFORD HIS DEATH 

AND FUNERAL FURTHER AND CONCLUDING RECOLLEC- 
TIONS OF HIS BENEVOLENCE AND STEADFAST FRIENDSHIP. 

It was not without great reluctance that he ac- 
quiesced in this plan ; and, at last, he yielded, 
not on conviction, but on principles of duty, 
because an invalid is bound to follow the in- 
junctions of his confidential physician. At Lon- 
don, however, in the autumn, he certainly 
rallied ; but it was the mind only that rallied, 
in like manner as it sometimes triumphs even 
within the hour of dissolution. Yet his heart 
was cheered by the kind attentions, the deep 
respect and sympathy shewn to him from all 
quarters; and having, in former years, always 
derived benefit from a sea-voyage, he rejoiced 
at last in the mode of his conveyance abroad ; 
namely, a king's ship, the " Barham," bound for 
Malta. He did not embark till the very end 
of October ; but, notwithstanding the advanced 
period of the season, had a pleasant and pro- 



294 RESIDENCE IN ITALY. 

sperous voyage, which he bore so well, that, or 
his first arrival, sanguine hopes were again enter- 
tained of his recovery. 

These expectations strengthened during the 
depth of winter, which he spent at Naples ; 
the only place, I believe, where, during his 
residence on the Continent, he made any at- 
tempt to resume his literary employments. Here 
he not unfrequently tried to write with his own 
hand; but any specimens I have seen are in a 
scrawl so wretched, that the character of his 
autograph, once fluent, firm, and rapid, is en- 
tirely lost. At Naples he was watched over, 
not only by his daughter, but both his sons, and 
received the utmost attention and kindness from 
the king, and all the beau monde of this capital. 
But the romantic features of nature, the interest- 
ing remains of antiquity, and even the most 
intelligent society (to use for a moment the 
language of German philosophy), are but out- 
ward phenomena, of which the interest depends 
on the mental recipient ; and when bodily powers 
decay, the mind clings rather to the remembrance 
of early years, than to any enjoyment which 
novel impressions can excite. The Pompeian 
ruins alone would formerly have been a source 
of the greatest amusement and delight to Sir 
Walter Scott. He would have excavated and 
explored in this region with the same enthusiasm 



RESIDENCE IN ITALY. 295 

with which he once " drained the well" at Dun- 
nottar Castle, and exulted in every mouldering 
remnant which he brought to light. But now, 
whatever attractions this world could afford him, 
were in Italy faint and feeble ; whereas, the ties 
which connected him with his own country, 
especially with his favourite Abbotsford, were 
yet strong, and, while life remained, indissoluble. 
In the course of the spring his health did not, 
as was expected, improve. Every means had 
been adopted to keep his mind constantly and 
cheerfully occupied , so that, in the complete 
absence of anxiety and intellectual pressure, the 
vital organs might possibly recover their tone. 
On this principle, when at Rome, in the month 
of April, he was induced to visit all the scenes 
and spectacles that usually interest a traveller ; 
but here he became so painfully conscious of 
his own increasing weakness, that henceforward 
all efforts devised by friends for his amusement 
were in vain. Nothing could dispel nor overcome 
the apprehension, that his strength would alto- 
gether wear out before it was possible to reach 
that home which he had never wished to leave. 

The plans formerly recommended by phy- 
sicians were now, therefore, abandoned. It 
would have been only injurious and cruel to 
detain him in a country where this gloomy im- 
pression kept his mind always on the rack. But 



296 JOURNEY HOMEWARD. 

the route home by land, through Switzerland 
and down the Rhine, was preferred, in hopes that 
perpetual change of scene, together with the 
consciousness that he was every day drawing 
nearer to England, might yet have a favourable 
effect. Alas ! this consciousness formed the sole 
interest he now took in his journey, and was 
accompanied with such impatience to proceed, 
that he sometimes could hardly be prevailed on 
to desist from travelling both night and day. 
Still he retained his mental faculties until that 
last fatal seizure, which happened on his passage 
down the Rhine, where the intense heat of sum- 
mer aggravated his sufferings, and brought on 
the worst of symptoms, another paralytic stroke, 
which, at first, it was supposed would prove 
immediately mortal. 

Henceforward the light of intellect was almost 
entirely obscured, and the remaining three months 
of his existence were spent in a state far too 
painful for description. Only at intervals could 
he recognise his relatives or attendants, or ex- 
press himself so as to be understood. Under 
these complicated sufferings he arrived in Lon- 
don, where he remained about ten days at a 
hotel in Jermyn Street, receiving the utmost 
attention from his friend, Sir Henry Halford, 
and other physicians, and affectionately watched 
by his family. In so far as his wishes could be 



ARRIVAL AT ARBOTSFORD. 297 

ascertained, they remained unchangeably bent 
on home; and he, therefore, embarked on the 
7th of July, in a steam-vessel, which, by a rapid 
and easy voyage, arrived at Edinburgh on the 
evening of the 9th. Here he rested for two 
days, at his house in Shandwick Place, scarcely, 
I believe, recognising where he was ; but, on 
the first view of Abbotsford from the carriage- 
windows, during his journey thither, it has been 
told that his excitement was intense, — that he 
fully recognised the friends around him, and 
expressed the utmost joy and gratitude because 
he had once more beheld that home to which 
he was so fondly attached. But this recognition 
was like an expiring gleam of the intellectual 
lamp, which immediately afterwards subsided 
into the faint glimmer of exhaustion. On his 
arrival at his own house, it is said that he no 
longer took any interest in the objects around 
him, or shewed recollection, except by shaking 
hands cordially with his old acquaintance and 
faithful steward, Mr. William Laidlaw. In short, 
the grasp of death was on him ; and the long 
struggle which followed, was only a faint in- 
dication of that innate strength of constitution, 
which had already borne up under so many 
trials. 

During most of the time, from the 12th July, 
when he arrived at Abbotsford, till his death, 



298 HIS DEATH AND FUNERAL. 

he remained in a state either of stupefaction or 
delirium ; a symptom which, I believe, seldom 
fails to attend the last conflict of an originally 
robust frame, and strong mind, with untimely 
decay. On the 21st September, he was released 
from all his sufferings, and on the 26th took 
place his funeral; on which day, as it is re- 
marked by a contemporary journalist, all nature 
was wrapped in the deepest gloom of a lowering 
autumnal sky, as if even the elements mourned 
the extinction of a light such as on earth may 
not appear again for centuries. His remains 
were interred in the evening at Dryburgh Ab- 
bey, where, as yet, no monument is erected to 
his memory. Nor is this to be wondered at. 
By his varied works, and his untarnished fame, 
he has himself created the most imperishable of 
monuments ; and by no efforts of the most 
highly gifted sculptor, could the affection of 
surviving friends be expressed. Such works of 
art would have seemed rather an ostentatious 
mockery of their attachment and affliction. On 
similar principles, his immediate relatives have 
deserted Abbotsford, the sight of which only 
adds poignancy to feelings which, even after the 
lapse of years, are almost too acute for en- 
durance. It may be from a morbid impression, 
but, instead of wishing to visit Abbotsford, I 
would, if travelling in the neighbourhood, rather 



RECOLLECTIONS OF HIS BENEVOLENCE, &C. 299 

take a circuitous route to avoid it. With all 
its natural and artificial beauty, with its now 
well-grown and flourishing woods, it presents, to 
the eyes of a friend, only the sad memorial of 
happiness which has been, and which no earthly 
power can restore. 

To this brief memoir it may possibly be ob- 
jected that I have set down nothing but praise ; 
but, on the part of all those who speak from 
personal knowledge of its subject, I shall be 
acquitted, at least, of having written under the 
influence of any prejudice. Mere truth has been 
commemorated, without the slightest colouring 
from imagination. That those who were honoured 
with his friendship might be wholly blinded to 
faults or failings, is, indeed, a natural result where 
good so decisively preponderated in the balance. 
And that his friends should be firmly attached, 
was the unavoidable effect of a direct and obvious 
cause ; namely, that for firmness and consistency 
of character (the rarest of human virtues), Scott 
might invariably be relied on. In all emergencies 
of life, where sterling integrity, honour, self- 
possession, command of temper, and — though last, 
not least — benevolence, were required, I could 
predict with certainty in what manner he would 
act, and almost anticipate the very language he 
would use. I needed not to fear, as in other 
cases, that the lapse of a year, a month, or, 



300 CONCLUDING RECOLLECTIONS OF HIS 

perhaps, a day, might possibly have made an 
entire change in his views or disposition. Never 
was he known to adopt the ordinary principles 
of the world, and desert a friend in adversity: 
even by errors and misconduct — whilst he always 
expressed his disapprobation and tendered his 
advice — yet he was not readily to be alienated. 
Of this I remember several instances with regard 
to persons who, by waywardness and imprudence, 
had given him ample cause for provocation and 
anger. 

It is said that no commodity is so cheap as 
advice; but I suspect, that good advice, given 
in such manner as to effect any real benefit, is 
a " commodity" of very rare occurrence. Of all 
counsellors on occasions of perplexity that I 
have known, Sir Walter Scott was infinitely the 
best; nor, when obstinately fixed in his own 
opinion, did he assume a harsh and dictatorial 
tone. He never took up a one-sided view of 
the subject, but saw it, as if intuitively, in all 
its bearings ; then, if he had made up his mind, 
and entertained any real interest in behalf of 
the person so counselled, he was not, like the 
once notable General Trappaud, satisfied with 
announcing what ought to be done, but exerted 
himself to bring his own suggestions into ex- 
ecution. I shall never cease to remember how 
earnestly, in 1825, he deprecated certain plans 



BENEVOLENCE AND FRIENDSHIP. 301 

which were then of some consequence, though, 
to himself individually, of no moment. He had 
given his advice, and he perceived plainly enough 
that it would not be followed. I was at the 
threshold of the outer door of his house in town 
(on my departure), when he called to me from 
the upper floor, and came down-stairs. " Be- 
fore you walk home," said he, " I wish to impress 
on your mind once more my perfect sincerity 
in the offers I have made to-day. Do not 
abandon a friend's counsels without due reflec- 
tion ; for, be assured, I have not advised without 
having myself carefully reflected. Your plans 
involve great trouble, and great risk ; those 
which I recommend are not attended with any. 
Yours may, indeed must, succeed to a certain 
extent; but, to reach the goal, would require 
sustained efforts, of which no mortal, under 
adverse circumstances, can rationally be sup- 
posed capable. If you proceed, time will be 
thrown away, property sacrificed, character at- 
tacked, if not injured ; and, after a vain and 
most fatiguing struggle, you will end in a situa- 
tion far worse than when you began." A witness 
to the conversation observed, that it was an 
extraordinary instance of disinterested zeal ; but, 
that any one should be insane enough to reject 
the proffers so kindly made, or the advice so 
forcibly given, was yet more extraordinary. As 



302 CONCLUDING RECOLLECTIONS OF HIS 

to the verification of his predictions, this may 
be understood as a matter of course. 

By some detractors it has been occasionally 
alleged, that Scott, through life, enjoyed ad- 
vantages such as rarely fall to the lot of men 
devoted to literature ; on which grounds they 
would infer, that "his eminence is less to be 
wondered at. It is true that, from the begin- 
ning, he was independent ; he might talk of the 
res angusta domi in early years, but could never 
experience the horror of that thraldom entailed 
by poverty, when the labour of each day is 
required to provide for existing wants. If, how- 
ever, in a state of perfect independence, he sub- 
mitted to long and arduous literary tasks, without 
any necessity for so doing ; surely his merit is 
not thereby lessened, but enhanced. Such cavil- 
lers, perhaps, wish to insinuate that, if doomed 
to write for daily bread, his genius would not 
have triumphed ; and, in truth, could any obstacle 
have broken the practically calm, but originally 
irritable spirit of Sir Walter, it would have been 
poverty. Yet, as there is no state of pro- 
sperity to which we cannot naturally enough 
suggest a contrast, I could imagine his unyield- 
ing and stern self-control — even playfulness and 
mildness — over a cup of water and crust of 
bread ; or his expression, " It is my lot in this 
world ; and, if not quite content, I endeavour 



BENEVOLENCE AND FRIENDSHIP. 303 

to be so." He would, even then, have maintained 
the same principles of independence by which 
he was actuated through life ; and the perfect 
tranquillity and fortitude with which he " looked 
difficulties in the face," would have disarmed 
them of their terrors. 

In this, as in many other passages, I have 
wished to illustrate the moral character of Sir 
Walter Scott, in which respect he was even more 
worthy of admiration than for his literary ex- 
cellence. Hence no man of genius was ever so 
universally regretted, or left behind him a repu- 
tation so completely without a blot. 



THE END. 



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